Sorghum Breeding

Sorghum is an ancient grain vital to western Kansas's agricultural and economic heartbeat. Our Sorghum Research and Breeding programs are committed to environmentally and financially sustainable farming practices in western Kansas. Since 1902, researchers have been working to optimize sorghum varieties and growing practices in the arid and semi-arid plains. We seek practical solutions for sorghum growers seeking ways to increase yield potential by developing elite parental lines and hybrids with drought tolerance, disease, and insect resistance. Our sorghum research and extension programs also delve into the sustainability of sorghum in midwest cropping systems to advance soil health, make the most of limited water conditions, and enhance sustainable farm profitability.

Kansas leads the nation with more than 3 million acres of sorghum planted annually

Kansas Sorghum generates roughly $686.1 million annually

Sorghum can generate the same amount of ethanol per bushel as other crops while using 1/3 less water

“We hope that our work will open a wider marketing opportunity for sorghum as a biofuel feedstock, and hopefully for producers, the opportunity to gain additional value in the grain sorghum they are selling into the ethanol market.” ~ Peter Tomlinson, Kansas State University Associate Professor, Environmental Quality

Kansas Grain Sorghum

In western Kansas, water scarcity can significantly threaten crop production, and sorghum has proven to be a reliable and sustainable choice for farmers. Kansas consistently leads the nation as the number one grain sorghum-producing state, with approximately 3 million acres planted annually. According to estimates prepared by the Kansas Department of Agriculture, the sorghum industry in Kansas has a direct output of roughly $686.1 million and creates 1,737 jobs in the state. Indirectly, the sorghum industry supports an estimated 5,152 jobs and makes a total economic contribution of approximately $1.2 billion.

Kansas consistently leads the nation as the number one grain sorghum-producing state, with approximately 3 million acres planted annually. According to estimates prepared by the Kansas Department of Agriculture, the sorghum industry in Kansas has a direct output of roughly $686.1 million and creates 1,737 jobs in the state. Indirectly, the sorghum industry supports an estimated 5,152 jobs and makes a total economic contribution of approximately $1.2 billion.

Sorghum Publications
Research and data to support grain sorghum growers
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Grain Sorghum Trials
Kansas Crop Performance Tests
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Sorghum in the News
The latest Kansas State Research and Extension sorghum news
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Sorghum Research Reports
Preliminary research results
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Grain Sorghum a Versatile and Sustainable Crop

Sorghum is a versatile crop used for grain, forage, or sweet crop that contributes significantly to western Kansas's economic prosperity. While Kansas sorghum has traditionally been used for livestock feed as grain and forage, there is an increasing demand for its use in ethanol plants. Sorghum has been found to use a third less water while generating the same amount of ethanol per bushel as comparable feedstocks. There is also a growing interest in its domestic production of sorghum as a gluten-free food crop and an excellent substitute for wheat in foods. The diverse applications of sorghum and its water efficiency make it a cornerstone of the regional economy.

Beyond its economic importance, sorghum contributes to crop rotation strategies, promoting soil health and sustainability. The use of sorghum in crop rotations can help prevent soil erosion, improve fertility, reduce reliance on chemical inputs, break up soil disease cycles, and produce yield advantages for other crops in the rotation, fostering a more environmentally conscious and resilient agricultural system.

With its remarkable drought tolerance and adaptability to varying soil conditions, sorghum is resilient against the challenging weather patterns that often characterize the semi-arid plains of western Kansas. Sorghum isn't just a crop in western Kansas; it symbolizes resilience, adaptability, and economic vitality. Its significance reaches far beyond the fields, impacting the livelihoods of farmers, the sustainability of the environment, and the overall prosperity of the entire region.

Forage Sorghum

"Depending on the producer's goal, with sorghum we have the ability to graze, hay, or put it into silage. It's one of the advantages of sorghum, with all of the different sorghum types that are available. Once a producer identifies what his or her goal is, then we can select a sorghum type and variety to match the grower's needs." ~ John Holman, Cropping Systems and Forage Agronomist

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Grain Sorghum Research

The major focus of sorghum research at KSU, ARC, Hays, KS for the semi-arid regions of Kansas is to increase yield potential through the development of elite parental lines and hybrids with chilling/heat and drought tolerance at pre-flowering and post-flowering stages, lodging and diseases resistance (Fusarium stalk rot, charcoal rot, and grain mold), insect resistance (sugarcane aphids) and herbicide tolerance to minimize the weeds competition and enhanced productivity in Kansas. Also, the program aims to accelerate the breeding process by integrating markers assisted selection (MAS) to develop tannin free chilling tolerant parents though multi-disciplinary and multi-institutional collaboration. Other major priority areas are to: i) develop and commercialize K-State sorghum high yielding hybrids in partnership with private seed industries with improved agronomic characteristics for the direct benefit of Kansas sorghum growers. Ii) develop parental lines with improved sorghum specialty traits (high polyphenol and antioxidant) to add value to anti-cancer properties and iii) generate next-generation classical breeders through short-term hands-on training courses every year in collaboration with national and international institutes.

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Current Sorghum Research Projects

Chilling tolerance: Sorghum originated in the semi-arid tropics and generally is sensitive and vulnerable to low and freezing temperatures and suffers chilling injury when soil temperature goes below 50-55°F. Low temperature stresses during germination and early vegetative growth results in poor seedling establishment and reduced growth rate after emergence due to low aerial temperature (60-65°F). Development of chilling tolerant non-tannin sorghum lines and hybrids is a priority objective to take advantage of early season moisture, minimum tillage and a longer growing period. This would help expand the area of coverage and increase the possibility of two crop seasons for producers. Enhanced germination and emergence at low temperatures would facilitate early planting and adaptation to cooler days between the end of April and May in Kansas. Advanced unique, chilling tolerant, tannin free parental lines and hybrids were developed and are currently under evaluation to facilitate early planting (end of April to 1^stweek of May) and harvesting (1^stweek of Sep) of sorghum to maximize germination, seedling vigor, plant stand and early harvest (middle of September) with increased yield potential in sorghum growing regions.

Pre- and post-flowering drought and heat tolerance: Adaptation of sorghum to the range of environmental conditions in semi-arid regions has resulted in the evolution of extensive genetic variation for drought tolerance in sorghum (Blum 1979; Doggett 1988). However, water stress at both pre-flowering and post-flowering stages of development has the most adverse effect on yield. Hence, productivity enhancement under drought conditions is a challenging task because of the unpredictable nature of most periods of drought stress prevailing in sorghum growing areas in Kansas and gaps in our knowledge of drought biology Non-lodging and diseases resistance to Charcoal rot [caused by Macrophomina phaseolina (Tassi) Goidanich] and Fusarium stalk rot (caused by Fusarium spp.) are other important traits associated with post-flowering drought stress. The research focus at this center is primarily on the development of drought tolerant parents and hybrids using classical and molecular breeding methods and through estimating the genetic parameters and traits associationfor some valuable morpho-physiological traits which have been extensively utilized for screening of pre- and post-flowering drought tolerance.

Herbicide tolerance: Research has shown that heavy weed infestations can reduce grain sorghum yields by 50 percent. In addition, weeds may decrease grain quality, increase insect and disease pressure, and increase harvest difficulty. Developed parental lines and hybrids are being evaluated in collaboration with weed scientists to select sorghum lines and hybrids tolerant to acetolactate synthase (ALS) and acetyl coenzyme A carboxylase (ACC) herbicides.

To achieve the targeted goals, partnership with public (KSU, Manhattan, KS; Texas A&M University, College Station, TX; USDA Lubbock, TX) and private (S&W Seeds Co., Lubbock, TX) sorghum breeders is established and diversified parental lines from each program is being exchanged to bring heterotic high yielding hybrids for direct commercialization. This unique collaboration and team focus on evaluating potential hybrids across 8 to 10 locations in Texas and Kansas every year leads to the development of hybrids with drought, heat and chilling tolerance, resistance to stalk-rots, lodging, sugarcane aphids, and herbicides for weed management with improved seed quality.

Specialty sorghum: Identified high-polyphenol black-seeded sorghum lines with anti-cancer properties that are currently used to develop new parental lines with adapted agronomic traits. Research is simultaneously focused in collaboration with researchers from USDA, Manhattan, KS on several tests evaluation for the anti-cancer properties and other side effects. The study will impact on the development of many specialty sorghum parental lines and hybrids for release to increase the sorghum market value.

KSRE Grain Sorghum Resources

Our dedicated extension officers across Kansas are committed to offering valuable research and data to enhance grain sorghum production in the Midwest. In the KSRE Bookstore you'll find the latest research on Sorghum Insect Pest Mangement, Performance Tests, Growth and Development publications, and so much more.

As the leading state in wheat and grain sorghum production, Kansas boasts rich soils and diverse climatic conditions, influencing optimal planting dates and seeding rates. Recognizing and understanding these variations addressed in the KSRE Grain Sorghum Planting Guide is crucial for producers to make informed decisions tailored to the unique growing conditions on their farms.

The Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station faculty members conduct ongoing research in grain and forage sorghum. The KAES Research Reports share preliminary results of research conducted at the Western Kansas Research-Extension Centers.

History of Sorghum at the WKREC

Since 1902 we've been serving Kansas farmers seeking to increase yields, sustainability, and farm profitabililty.

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Grain Sorghum News

Title: Agriculture Today Podcast - Sorghum Hybrids for Early Planting
Date: Sept 11, 2020
Description: K-State sorghum breeder Ram Perumal talks about his program's efforts to develop sorghum hybrids which can be successfully planted very early in the spring, and he remarks on the multiple advantages of such early plantings...he spoke on this at the recent fall field day conducted by K-State's Agricultural Research Center at Hays.