The Advances in Genome Biology and Technology (AGBT) Agricultural Meeting 2025 took place from March 31 to April 2 in Orlando, Florida. This annual event convened leading genome researchers, data scientists, breeders, policy influencers, funders, and technology innovators from around the world to discuss the integration of genomics in agriculture.
Plants use non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) to protect themselves from light-induced damage by dissipating excess energy as heat, and genetic studies in crops like maize and sorghum have identified key genes regulating NPQ, offering potential for improving photosynthetic efficiency and yield.
The Center for Sorghum Improvement (CSI) is hosting a virtual seminar given by Aaron Kusmec, an Assistant Professor in Crop Quantitative Genetics at Kansas State University’s Department of Agronomy, on Tuesday, April 8 at 11 AM CT. The title of the talk is, “The past is not the future: Lessons from 80 years of maize breeding for adaptation to future climates.”
Improving iWUE in sorghum involves balancing water conservation and productivity through genetic traits, particularly aquaporin-linked mechanisms, that enhance photosynthesis and hydraulic efficiency under varying water conditions.
Researchers showed that mutating the Lsi1 Si transporter in sorghum increases lignin content in mature plants, suggesting a compensatory response for reduced silica that could be useful in developing bioenergy crops with optimized lignin and lower Si content.
