Molecular and physiological characterization of brassinosteroid receptor BRI1 mutants in Sorghum bicolor.

The high sequence and structural similarities between BRASSINOSTEROID INSENSITIVE 1 (BRI1) brassinosteroid (BR) receptors of Arabidopsis (AtBRI1) and sorghum (SbBRI1) prompted us to study the functionally conserved roles of BRI1 in both organisms. Introducing sorghum SbBRI1 in Arabidopsis bri1 mutants restores defective growth and developmental phenotypes to wild-type levels. Sorghum mutants for SbBRI1 show defective BR sensitivity and impaired plant growth and development throughout the entire sorghum life cycle.

Efficient sorghum and maize transformation using a ternary vector system combined with morphogenic regulators.

Sorghum bicolor (sorghum) is a vital C4 monocotyledon crop cultivated in arid regions worldwide, valued for its significance in both human and animal nutrition. Despite its agricultural prominence, sorghum research has been hindered by low transformation frequency. In this study, we examined sorghum transformation using the pVS1-VIR2 ternary vector system for Agrobacterium, combined with the morphogenic genes BABY BOOM and WUSCHEL2 and selection using G418.

New methods for sorghum transformation in temperate climates.

Sorghum () is an emerging cereal crop in temperate climates due to its high drought tolerance and other valuable traits. Genetic transformation is an important tool for the improvement of cereals. However, sorghum is recalcitrant to genetic transformation which is almost only successful in warmer climates.

A Method for Rapid and Reliable Molecular Detection of Drought-Response Genes in Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench Roots.

Drought is a major environmental stress that limits growth and productivity in agricultural ecosystems limiting crop yield worldwide. Breeding crops for enhanced drought tolerance is a priority to preserve food security on the increasing world population. Recent work in Arabidopsis has shown that vascular brassinosteroid receptor BRL3 (Brassinosteroid insensitive like-3) transcriptionally controls the production of osmoprotectant metabolites that confer drought resistance without penalizing growth, offering new and exciting possibilities for biotechnological improvement of drought-resistant crops.

Drought Resistance by Engineering Plant Tissue-Specific Responses.

Drought is the primary cause of agricultural loss globally, and represents a major threat to food security. Currently, plant biotechnology stands as one of the most promising fields when it comes to developing crops that are able to produce high yields in water-limited conditions. From studies of whole plants, the main response mechanisms to drought stress have been uncovered, and multiple drought resistance genes have already been engineered into crops.