PLANT CELL BIOTECHNOLOGY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) has emerged as a model crop for functional genetics and genomics among tropical grasses due to its adaptability, drought resilience, and multifunctional applications in food, feed, and bioenergy production. As the fifth most important cereal crop globally, sorghum plays a vital role in ensuring food and nutritional security, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions. However, its productivity is frequently challenged by numerous biotic and abiotic stresses. To address these constraints, significant advances have been made in breeding strategies aimed at improving yield potential, enhancing stress tolerance, and refining grain quality traits. The integration of conventional breeding with modern molecular tools particularly marker-assisted selection (MAS), genomic selection, and genome editing has significantly accelerated the development of superior sorghum cultivars. These technologies enable precise identification and introgression of desirable alleles associated with key agronomic traits, thus shortening the breeding cycle and increasing the efficiency of selection. Furthermore, progress in understanding the sorghum genome and the development of high-throughput genotyping platforms has provided deeper insights into genetic diversity and trait architecture. In addition, transcriptomics and functional genomics studies have revealed key regulatory pathways and genes governing stress responses and grain development. Integration of multi-omics data with phenotypic screening is now enabling predictive breeding. Public-private partnerships and international research collaborations have also played a critical role in driving sorghum improvement programs. With continued innovations in molecular breeding and data-driven crop improvement, sorghum holds great promise in meeting the future demands of sustainable agriculture and climate resilience.