Partial fertility in sorghum cytoplasmic male sterile lines is a complex, environmentally sensitive quantitative trait controlled by many minor-effect loci, which constrains genetic diversity in female parent lines and poses a major challenge for hybrid breeding.
Liu et al. systematically identified and characterized 53 DIR genes in Sorghum bicolor, revealing their evolutionary diversification, tissue-specific expression, and key roles in lignin biosynthesis and abiotic stress tolerance, with SbDIR39 and SbDIR53 highlighted as promising targets for crop improvement.
Scientists identified a novel grain size QTL (qGS1) in sorghum and proposed Sobic.001G230700 as a candidate gene using integrated BSA-Seq and RNA-Seq analyses, advancing the genetic understanding of yield-related traits.
This study elucidates the genetic architecture of sorghum plant height by characterizing major dwarfing genes (Dw1–Dw3), revealing their additive effects, allelic diversity, and the potential role of undiscovered minor-effect loci in shaping dwarf phenotypes.
Guard cell-specific expression of AtTOR enhances drought tolerance and water use efficiency in Arabidopsis by reducing transpirational water loss while maintaining or improving photosynthetic performance through modulation of stomatal function and ABA-related signaling pathways.
Researchers identified novel genetic regulators of flowering time in temperate-adapted, photoperiod-insensitive sorghum using expanded genome-wide and transcriptome-wide association analyses, revealing key roles for FT, MADS-box, and ageing pathway genes beyond the classical maturity loci.
This review highlights how cereal-specific meristems, such as those in sorghum, contribute to complex plant architectures and offer new targets for crop improvement through advanced genomic tools.
