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PubMed1979

Protein quality in cereals and pulses. 3. Bioassays with rats and chickens on sorghum (Sorghum vulgare Pers.), barley and field beans (Vicia faba L.). Influence of polyethylene glycol on digestibility on the protein in high-tannin grain.

1. Two preceding papers in this series describe the application of microbiological and other in vitro tests in the evaluation of sorghum (Sorghum vulgare Pers.), field beans (Vicia faba L.) and barley, and in assessing the influence of polyethylene glycol (PEG 4000) on the nutritional availability of the methionine. The present paper gives for comparison the results of bioassays on some of the same test samples. Net protein utilization (NPU) in rats was measured by the nitrogen balance method, and N digestibility in chickens by the ileal analysis procedure. 2. In rat tests on sorghum, N in grain of high-tannin varieties was poorly digested. Supplementation of the test diets with 0.1 g PEG 4000/g protein gave a large improvemnet, which was partly offset by an apparent decrease in biological value (BV). With chickens N digestibility was even lower, and was similarly improved with PEG 4000. Treatment of high-tannin grain with ammonia solution was also effective in improving N digestibility. 3. With low-tannin sorghum the amino acid digestibilities were uniformly high and were not affected by addition of PEG to the test diet. With high-tannin sorghums they were low and less uniform, and were much improved by PEG 4000. 4. With field beans, the influence of the seed-coat tannin on protein utilization was much less pronounced than with sorghum. In chickens there was a significant effect (P less than 0.05) of PEG 4000 on N idgestibility in a high-tannin variety. With rats the effect was smaller and not significant. 5. In four samples of barley. N digestibility was high (0.87--0.96) and was not further improved by PEG 4000. The BV of a high-lysine cultivar proved marginally inferior to that of a normal variety. Possible reasons for this are discussed. 6. Over all, the results were closely consistent with those from microbiological tests with Streptococcus zymogenes.

Animals↗
PubMed2026

Advances in Understanding Salt Stress Effects on Growth and Productivity in Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench).

Salinity is a growing problem for cereal cultivation because it imposes multiple stresses, including osmotic, ionic, nutritional, and oxidative constraints, on the crop. Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) is considered a climate-smart C4 cereal for food, feed, fodder, forage, and bioenergy, but recent studies indicate that salinity continues to hinder establishment, biomass formation, reproductive growth, and yield. This review compiles the literature on the impacts of salinity on sorghum from 2021 to 2026, with a focus on germination, vegetative growth, physiological and biochemical responses, ion homeostasis, genetic control, productivity, mitigation, and future breeding priorities. In total, 160 records were identified, 118 records were screened after duplicate removal, and 44 recent sources were included in the synthesis. Across comparable sorghum studies, saline/NaCl treatments of approximately 60-200 mM commonly reduced germination by about 20-40%, root and shoot elongation by 25-50%, and biomass by 20-55%, while tolerant genotypes generally maintained higher K+/Na+ balance, 40-60% greater biomass retention, or two- to five-fold stronger ion homeostasis indicators than sensitive lines under similar conditions. Salt stress also lowers leaf expansion, chlorophyll stability, gas exchange, dry matter accumulation, panicle fertility, and grain filling. Tolerant genotypes show greater antioxidant potential, osmotic adjustment, photosynthetic stability, and root system resilience. Recent omics and genome-wide association studies suggest that salinity tolerance in sorghum is polygenic and involves genes related to ion transport, stress signalling, antioxidant regulation, osmolyte metabolism, and growth maintenance. This review recommends a shift from descriptive trait lists to full-cycle field validation, multi-trait selection indices, and integrated packages combining breeding with seed priming, soil water management, amendments, and beneficial microorganisms.

PRISMA↗
PubMed1979

Protein quality in cereals and pulses. 2. Influence of polyethyleneglycol on the nutritional availability of methionine in sorghum (Sorghum vulgar Pers.), field beans (Vicia faba L.) and barley.

1. Polyethyleneglycol (PEG 4000) was examined for its influence on relative nutritional value (RNV) and available methionine in sorghum (Sorghum vulgare Pers.), field beans (Vicia faba L.) and barley, as measured microbiologically with Streptococcus zymogenes. The results were assessed in relation to the content of tannins in the test samples. 2. In grain of hybrid sorghum the RNV averaged 87 (range 79--92) for six low-tannin varieties and 41 (30--53) for eleven high-tannin varieties. The corresponding available methionine values averaged 17.0 (15.7--18.9) and 8.9 (6.7--11.0) g/kg protein. Addition of PEG 4000 to the test samples increased the average RNV of the high-tannin varieties from 41 to 78, and the average available methionine content from 8.9 to 16.2 g/kg protein. 3. With seed of ten coloured flowered varieties of field beans, treatment with PEG gave a small but consistent increase in the available methionine content, which resulted from the inactivation of tannins in the testa. 4. In twenty-three samples of barley grain, treatment with PEG had no effect on the values obtained for available methionine. 5. Treatment of high-tannin sorghum grain with ammonia has been reported to inactivate the tannins and increase the nutritional value for rats and chicks. This finding was confirmed. The present study showed that ammonia and PEG 4000 were equally effective in enhancing the nutritional quality as measured in the microbiological tests.

Dietary Proteins↗
PubMed1979

Protein quality in cereals and pulses. 1. Application of microbiological and other in vitro methods in the evaluation of rice (Oryza sativa L.), sorghum (Sorghum vulgare Pers.), barley and field beans (Vicia faba L.).

1. The Streptococcus zymogenes assay procedure was modified and used in the estimation of available methionine and relative nutritional value in rice (Oryza sativa L.), sorghum (Sorghum vulgare Pers.), barley and field beans (Vicia faba L.). The results were assessed in relation to the content of tannins and 'dye-binding lysine', and to published information on the nutritional quality of some of the test samples. 2. In grain of ten varieties of sorghum, for which other workers had reported a correlation (r -0.82; P less than 0.01) between tannin content and amino acid digestibility in chicks, the available methionine content ranged from 6.3 to 17.7 g/kg protein (nitrogen x 6.25) and was highly correlated with tannin content (r -0.97; P less than 0.001). The content of total methionine and dye-binding lysine varied little between varieties and was not related to tannin content. 3. In nine samples of rice the availability of methionine was uniformly high, in accordance with literature values for true digestibility of the N. 4. In field beans the presence of tammins in the seed coat was associated with a significant (P less than 0.001) reduction in the availability of methionine. In eleven tannin-free varieties the coefficient of availability averaged 0.791, compared with 0.685 in eleven tannin-containing varieties. The standard deviation associated with both values was 0.04. There was no such difference between the corresponding dye-binding lysine values. 5. Thirty-three samples of barley were examined, representing fourteen varieties, four of which had been grown at several widely different latitudes in England and Sweden. There was little difference in methionine content between samples. The average availability coefficient for eighteen samples grown in England was 0.995+/-0.044, and for fifteen varieties grown in Sweden it was 0.851+/-0.042. The difference was not associated with any difference in tannin content, which was uniformly low. The findings contradict published evidence for marked increase in tannin content with increase in geographical latitude of cultivation, associated with decrease in digestibility of N.

Biological Assay↗
PubMed1977

Biochemical characterization of six trisomics of grain sorghum, Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench.

To determine protein differences of grain sorghum disomics and trisomics, we analyzed leaf extracts from six trisomics and a disomic control by disc gel, gel isoelectric focusing, and SDS gel electrophoresis. Based on the number and position of protein bands revealed by Coomassie blue staining, the disomic control could be differentiated from the trisomics, and trisomics could be shown to differ among themselves in most cases. SDS gel revealed the most protein bands, followed by isoelectric focusing and disc gel. However, disc gel electrophoresis was the simplest technique of the three and was just as effective in identifying trisomics and differentiating trisomics from the disomic control.

Edible Grain↗
PubMed1976

The limit dextrinase from malted sorghum (Sorghum vulgare).

A limit dextrinase, free from contaminating carbohydrases, has been purified from malted sorghum flour. The enzyme readily hydrolysed alpha-limit dextrins having maltosyl or maltotriosyl side-chains, pullulan, and amylopectin beta-limit dextrin. Glycogen beta-limit dextrin and amylopectin were more slowly hydrolysed, the detection of the hydrolysis of amylopectin being dependent on enzyme concentration. No significant debranching of glycogen could be detected.

Chelating Agents↗
PubMed1978

Investigations of leg abnormalities in chicks consuming high tannin sorghum grain diets.

Studies were conducted into the etiology of leg abnormalities noted in chicks fed high tannin sorghum grain diets. These anomalies were characterized by a bowing of the legs with a swelling of the hock joints. The incidence of these leg problems was found to be markedly higher when the amino acids in the diet provided by soybean meal were replaced by crystalline amino acids. Supplemental vitamins and minerals had no alleviating effect on the leg problem. Bone mineralization was apparently not influenced by tannins as demonstrated by similar bone ash values for chicks fed high or low tannin sorghums. A possible alteration caused by tannin in the organic matrix of bone is discussed. High tannin sorghum depressed chick growth and feed conversion when compared with low tannin sorghum in both sorghum-soybean meal and sorghum-amino acid rations. This growth depression was overcome by supplementing the high tannin sorghum-soybean meal diet with .15% DL-methionine, but no growth response was observed from a similar supplementation of a high tannin sorghum-amino acid diet.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed2026

Multi-season analysis reveals hundreds of drought-responsive genes in sorghum.

Persistent drought affects global crop production and is becoming more severe in many parts of the world in recent decades. Deciphering how plants respond to drought will facilitate the development of flexible mitigation strategies. Sorghum bicolor L. Moench (sorghum), a major cereal crop and an emerging bioenergy crop, exhibits remarkable resilience to drought. To better understand the molecular traits that underlie sorghum's remarkable drought tolerance, we undertook a large-scale sorghum gene expression profiling effort, totaling nearly 1500 transcriptome profiles, across a 3-year field study with replicated plots in California's Central Valley. This study included time-resolved gene expression data from roots and leaves of two sorghum genotypes, BTx642 and RTx430, with different pre-flowering and post-flowering drought-tolerance adaptations under control and drought conditions. Quantification of genotype-specific drought tolerance effects was enabled by de novo sequencing, assembly, and annotation of both BTx642 and RTx430 genomes. These reference-quality genomes were used to construct a pangene set for characterizing conserved and genotype-specific expression. By integrating time-resolved transcriptomic responses to drought in the field across three consecutive years, we identified a set of 726 drought-responsive genes that responded similarly in all 3 years of our field study. Functional enrichment analysis identified abiotic stress, secondary cell wall-related processes and metabolism as particularly affected under both types of drought stress. We also found that some glyoxylate cycle pathway genes, including malate synthase and isocitrate lyase, are differentially regulated particularly during post-flowering drought stress, implicating this pathway as potentially important for drought responsiveness. This expansive dataset represents a unique resource for sorghum and drought research communities and provides a methodological framework for the integration of multi-faceted time-resolved transcriptomic datasets.

Sorghum↗
PubMed2026

Whole genome sequence data on Ethiopian key sorghum landraces and founder lines.

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) is the fifth most important cereal globally. Its genetic diversity is key to improving yield stability, stress tolerance, and adaptation to different environments. Ethiopia is one of the centers for the crop's origin, diversity, and use in both human food and livestock feed. However, genomic data on Ethiopian sorghum remain limited, especially for landraces preferred by local farmers. This dataset consists of whole-genome sequencing data for 188 Ethiopian sorghum accessions, including founder lines and important landraces from major agroecological zones. Sequencing was performed using the Complete Genomics DNBSEQ-T7 platform, generating high-coverage whole-genome data (20 &#xd7; coverage). On average, each accession produced 64.7 million reads. Reads were aligned to the Sorghum bicolor NCBIv3 reference genome and variants called using GATK HaplotypeCaller with joint genotyping (GATK v4.6.1.0). Hard-filtering followed GATK best-practice thresholds (QD <2.0, FS> 60.0, MQ <40.0, MQRankSum <-12.5, ReadPosRankSum <-8.0), retaining biallelic SNPs with mean depth 10-50&#xd7;, missingness &#x2264;20%, and MAF &#x2265;0.05, yielding 6095,752 high-confidence SNPs across 185 accessions. Both the raw FASTQ files and processed VCF files are publicly available to support studies of sorghum genetic diversity, population structure, selection, and the genetic basis of important traits.

Adaptation↗
PubMed1978

Nitrogen fixation (acetylene reduction) associated with roots of winter wheat and sorghum in Nebraska.

Root segments and root-soil cores (6.5-cm diameter) from fields and nurseries of winter wheat and sorghum were tested for N2 fixation by using the acetylene reduction assay. Wheat samples (approximately 1,200) from 109 sites generally had low or no activity (0 to 3.1 nmol of C2H4 produced per h per g [dry weight] of root segments), even after 24 h of incubation. However, a commercial field of Scout 66, located in western Nebraska, exhibited appreciable activity (290 nmol of C2H4 produced per h per g [dry weight] of root segments). Of 400 sorghum lines and crosses, grain sorghums (i.e., CK-60A, Wheatland A, B517, and NP-16) generally exhibited higher nitrogenase activity than forage sorghums or winter wheats. CK-60A, a male sterile grain sorghum, was sampled at four locations and had the most consistent activity of 24 to 1,100 nmol of C2H4 produced per h per core. The maximum rate extrapolated to 2.5 g of N per hectare per day. Numerous N2-fixing bacterial isolates were obtained from wheat and sorghum roots that exhibited high nitrogenase activity. Most isolates were members of the Enterobacteriacae, i.e., Klebsiella pneumoniae, Enterobacter cloacae, and Erwinia herbicola.

Acetylene↗
PubMed1979

Studies of the growth and cell dynamics of the intestinal epithelium in corn and sorghum-fed rats.

A study was undertaken to compare the effects of corn and sorghum-based diets on the growth curve of young adult rats and on cell renewal in the intestinal epithelium of the jejunum and colon of the animals. Three groups of 10 rats each were studied: the first was submitted to a corn diet (Corn Group); the second to a sorghum diet (Sorghum Group), and the third to a casein diet (Control Group). The diets supplied about 7 g% protein. The experimental period lasted 13 weeks. Effects were measured in terms of weight curves, mitotic and calyciform cell indexes in the jejunum and colon. A special statistical analysis was applied allowing comparisons between the groups, and considering the sample size and the individual variations in the growth curves. The animals in the sorghum group revealed a lower growth rate, and those in the corn group showed more marked cell dynamics changes in the jejunal epithelium. Findings in the corn and sorghum-fed animals were different and cannot be explained solely in terms of niacin deficiency.

Animals↗
PubMed1978

Sorghum proteinase inhibitors: purification and some biochemical properties.

An investigation has been carried out on the proteinase inhibitors of grain sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench). One of the inhibitors has been isolated in a pure form and characterized. The proteinase inhibitor was extracted from the acetone-defatted sorghum meal and purified by selective thermal denaturation, ammonium sulfate fractionation, Sephadex gel filtration and DEAE-cellulose chromatography (DEAE-preparation II). This preparation was demonstrated to be a mixture of three inhibitor components by polyacrylamide disc gel electrophoresis. Further resolution of this mixture into Inhibitors I to III was achieved by QAE-Sephadex chromatography. Sorghum Inhibitor III was homogeneous by the criteria of disc gel electrophoresis and has been more fully characterized. A molecular weight of 25,000 was obtained for Inhibitor III by gel filtration and was in agreement with the value calculated from the amino acid composition of the inhibitor. The N-terminal amino acid residue of Inhibitor III, a single chain protein, was isoleucine. Sorghum proteinase inhibitors inhibit specifically the serine proteinases and are inactive towards the other classes of proteinases. Inhibitor III is primarily a chymotrypsin inhibitor, whereas Inhibitors I and II inhibit both trypsin and chymotrypsin.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed2026

The transcription factor SbWRKY6 confers cadmium tolerance via activating SbPLAC8-17 expression in sorghum.

Cadmium (Cd) is a widespread environmental pollutant that severely threatens crop productivity and food safety. However, the regulatory mechanisms underlying Cd detoxification and tolerance in sorghum remain largely elusive. Herein, we functionally characterized SbWRKY6, a Cd&#x2011;induced WRKY transcription factor that localizes to the nucleus and functions as a transcriptional activator. Stable overexpression of SbWRKY6 significantly enhanced Cd tolerance in sorghum, as evidenced by improved growth performance, mitigated oxidative damage, and decreased Cd concentration in plant tissues, whereas silencing of SbWRKY6 resulted in a Cd-hypersensitive phenotype with exacerbated toxicity symptoms. Mechanistically, we identified SbPLAC8-17, a member of the Plant Cadmium Resistance (PCR)/PLAC8 family, as a critical downstream target of SbWRKY6. Heterologous expression of SbPLAC8-17 functionally complemented the Cd&#x2011;sensitive phenotype of the yeast mutant &#x2206;ycf1 and reduced intracellular Cd accumulation. Further yeast one-hybrid (Y1H), electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA), and dual-luciferase reporter (Dual-LUC) assays confirmed that SbWRKY6 directly binds to the SbPLAC8-17 promoter and transcriptionally activates its expression. In vivo silencing of SbPLAC8-17 significantly impaired cellular Cd&#xb2;&#x207a; efflux and aggravated Cd toxicity in sorghum. Additionally, the rapid Cd-induced transcriptional upregulation of SbMPK3 and its direct physical interaction with SbWRKY6 suggest a potential upstream regulatory module that remains to be functionally validated. Collectively, this study elucidates a novel SbWRKY6&#x2011;SbPLAC8-17 transcriptional cascade that positively regulates Cd tolerance by facilitating Cd&#xb2;&#x207a; efflux, providing promising genetic targets for phytoremediation and molecular breeding of safe sorghum cultivars for Cd-contaminated fields.

Sorghum↗
PubMed1978

Effect of corn and sorghum diets in N1 methylnicotinamide excretion and hepatic enzymes in rats.

This study was carried out to compare the effects of corn (Zea mays) and sorghum (Sorghum vulgare) diets on urinary N1 methylnicotinamide (N'MN) excretion and on the activity of hepatic enzyme in young adult rats. Thirty rats, weighing an average of 174.3 g at the beginning of the experiments, were divided into three groups and studied for 13 weeks. The two experimental diets supplied 7% protein, and a casein diet was used as control. Niacin was excluded from the vitamin mixture used in the corn and sorghum diets. The activities of the following enzymes were studied: betaHOB-D, G6P-D, NADH2-TR, NADPH2-TR, and 3 HOA-0. Urinary excretion of N'MN was statistically different among the three groups, the corn group having the lowest level. The corn-fed animals appeared to have more obvious alterations in liver enzyme activity. The changes found in corn and sorghum-fed animals are different and cannot be explained as due to niacin deficiency. The different amino acid compositions of the two grains and their relationship with the discrepancies in the result are also discussed.

Amino Acids, Essential↗
PubMed1979

Sorghum proteinase inhibitors. 2. Mode of interaction with serine proteinases.

Investigations have been carried out on the complex formed between sorghum Inhibitor III and alpha-chymotrypsin by physico-chemical methods. An apparent dissociation constant (Ki) of 4.0 X 10(-8) M has been calculated for the complex. This enzyme-inhibitor complex was isolated by gel filtration on Sephadex G-75 and a molecular weight of 48,000 was estimated for the complex. The formation of the complex was accompanied by spectral changes in the 270--300 nm region of the spectrum. Preliminary evidence suggests that the sorghum Inhibitor III is structurally altered when it is incubated with alpha-chymotrypsin. Catalytically inactive derivative of alpha-chymotrypsin and trypsin, as well as their zymogens, did not interfere with the activity of the sorghum inhibitor towards the native enzymes. Sorghum Inhibitor I was shown to be a 'double-headed' inhibitor since it inhibits both trypsin and alpha-chymotrypsin independently.

Chromatography, Gel↗
PubMed2025

Decoding nitrogen uptake efficiency in maize and sorghum: insights from comparative gene regulatory networks.

Nitrogen (N) is an essential macronutrient for plant growth and yield, yet optimizing nitrogen use efficiency remains a challenge in agriculture. To better understand the regulatory basis of plant responses to N availability, we constructed a maize-specific nitrogen uptake efficiency gene regulatory network (mNUEGRN) comprising 1625 protein-DNA interactions (PDI) between 70 promoters and 301 transcription factors using enhanced yeast one-hybrid assays. We also projected a sorghum NUE GRN (spNUEGRN) based on maize orthologs and analyzed N-responsive subnetworks in both species using transcriptome profiling under N stress of early deprivation and recovery. Cross-species comparison with an existing Arabidopsis GRN revealed about 18% conserved interaction, corresponding to 11% of the mNUEGRN, particularly within the nitrate assimilation pathways. Notably, bZIP18 and bZIP30 emerged as central regulators in mNUEGRN, forming highly connected feed-forward loops (FFLs). From our time series data, we identified 19&#x2009;236 and 23&#x2009;864 differentially expressed genes in maize and sorghum, respectively. Gini correlation analysis uncovered 764 and 638 FFLs in mNUEGRN and spNUEGRN, respectively, of which 22 FFLs in maize and 35 in sorghum were identified in both leaf and root for each species. These FFLs may represent candidate regulatory motifs that contribute to modulating transcriptional responses under fluctuating N conditions, but their potential roles require further investigation. Together, our findings reveal evolutionarily conserved and species-specific regulatory strategies that mediate early N responsiveness, offering a foundation for engineering crops with improved NUE.

Sorghum↗
PubMed2026

Diploids derived from polyploids: genetic characteristics of four novel interspecific Sorghum populations.

Polyploidy has repeatedly shaped grass evolution, yet direct observations of how polyploid-derived chromosomes behave when returned to diploidy remain rare. Interspecific crosses between diploid Sorghum bicolor and tetraploid hybrids derived from Sorghum halepense generate mixed-ploidy progeny, providing an opportunity to examine chromosome transmission during the early stages of diploidization. Using genome-wide SNP markers, we characterized chromosomal inheritance patterns in 2 diploid and 2 tetraploid families derived from these crosses. Genotype-dosage profiles alone distinguished diploids from tetraploids with complete accuracy, reflecting strong ploidy-dependent differences in dosage-class distributions. Although diploid progeny retained much of the halepense-derived genomic background, several genomic intervals exhibited extended, nonrandom runs of S. bicolor homozygosity that remained polymorphic in corresponding tetraploid populations. These patterns, together with recurrent segregation distortion across independent families, suggest that the transition from tetraploidy to diploidy can expose allelic combinations that differ in transmission or viability. Analyses of flowering time further indicated that diploid and tetraploid derivatives possess distinct genomic architectures, with major association peaks occurring in different chromosomal regions across ploidy levels. Collectively, these results indicate that early diploidization involves nonrandom retention and loss of parental haplotypes shaped by both selective and structural constraints. The diploid extractions characterized here provide a rare empirical system for investigating the early stages of diploidization and a practical framework for studying and eventually mobilizing polyploid-derived variation for sorghum germplasm development. However, broader integration into elite breeding programs will require additional evaluation of cross-fertility, meiotic behavior, and chromosomal stability across diverse breeding backgrounds.

Sorghum↗