b'SORGHUMS LOOKING TO BOLSTER FOOD SECURITYBreeding of this important cereal crop is taking a giant leap forward, paving the way for accelerated genetic progress with other cereals as well.Treena HeinDUE TO ITS HARDYnature and new genetics research, sorghum is on track for a major expansion of acreage and higher yields, which will boost food security in the U.S. and many other countries around the world. Sorghum has the potential to be more productive in marginal environments and/or under conserved nutrient inputs, which not only reduces the carbon footprint and environmental degra-dation, but also decreases grower risk by lowering seed and chemical input costs and can increase profit margins, explains Jeffrey Rosichan, director of Crops of the Future Collaborative at the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR). Beside the environmental benefits, the addition of value-added traits to sorghum should make it more attractive to growers, helping to increase crop diversity. In September 2022, FFAR provided an $846,991 grant to Clemson University for a four-year project to enhance beneficial compounds in sorghum while preserving the crops dual use as animal feed. Regarding sorghums use as feed, Ben Beyer, North America sorghum breeding lead at Advanta Seeds, foresees the U.S. acreage of sorghum will increase for making silage for both dairy and beef cows.The research at Clemson University addresses the fact that specific compounds (polyphenols and tannins) found in the grain of certain sorghum lines offer human health benefits but can also produce negative effects for livestock when used in feed. Richard Boyles and his team are therefore working to determine which compounds are beneficial for both humans and livestock animals, or at least have health properties for humans and do not impact negatively on animals.Once this is complete, the team will use non-GMO breeding methods to develop new hybrids. Rosichan explains that this involves using existing genomic sequence and molecular marker data from a large number of diverse varieties combined with 78/ SEEDWORLD.COMINTERNATIONAL EDITION 2023'