Breeding sorghum for grain, forage and bioenergy in Brazil

Abstract

Sorghum is a versatile crop used for energy production, human and animal feedings, and raw material for industry. The grain sorghum is the fifth most important cereal worldwide, and Brazil is one of the top 10 sorghum producers. In the last 40 years, the sorghum grain yield in Brazil has increased to 32.70 kg ha-1 year -1. Although this clear evolution, much remains to be done, and sorghum breeders in Brazil still face several challenges. This review discusses the main characteristics of sorghum genetics and breeding, aiming for sorghum improvement for food, fodder, feed, and fuel uses. Herein will be highlighted essential topics related to the genetic control of the main interest traits; conventional sorghum breeding; the development of sorghum lines and hybrids; the use of male-sterility in sorghum breeding; the implication of genotypes-by-environments interaction in sorghum, the use of genome-wide association studies, and genomic prediction to maximize the efficiency of the sorghum breeding programs.