Cold Tolerance Researchers Getting Warmer
Improving farmers’ yields and profitability is the No. 1 priority for the Sorghum Checkoff. Developing cold tolerant sorghum is just one of many research projects currently funded by the farmer-driven organization.
The development of a cold tolerant hybrid would allow farmers in northern regions to plant sorghum earlier in cooler soils, giving them a longer growing season and with increased yields.
Gloria Burow of USDA-ARS in Lubbock, Texas, is the project leader for one of the projects funded by the Sorghum Checkoff. She said that the two- year program has produced some exciting results in the past several months. Burow said at this point in their research they have identified candidate female parents of what they hope to be cold tolerant hybrids.
"We have seen significant differences in early season performance of the offspring from different crosses," Burow said. "We have been testing in three different locations to determine the most effective parent for a cold tolerant sorghum to give us an idea of how they perform in various regions."
Burow said the environmental conditions during their spring trials this year were excellent for screening early season cold tolerance for sorghum. The soil temperature generally stayed lower than 20 degrees Celsius (68 degrees Fahrenheit) throughout the month of April. These tests are helping researchers determine an appropriate female parent for the intended result of a cold tolerant hybrid.
While there is still work to be done until a commercial cold tolerant hybrid is available, researchers are getting warmer.
"We are getting closer to our intended end result," Burow said.