Research Projects

Sorghum, a C4 crop, is a multipurpose crop with potential for human food due to its gluten-free grains and low glycemic index. However, it faces challenges such as changing environment conditions, rising temperature regimes, and reducing freshwater resources. Conventional breeding has improved sorghum productivity, but there is still potential for biotechnology-mediated improvement. Sorghum is a good model system for understanding carbohydrate portioning between stem and seeds. A compendium of transcriptomics data has been generated to understand carbohydrate metabolism and its responses to environmental stress. A hypothesis has been developed that candidate ERF/MYB genes may work as hub genes, integrating diverse signals and regulating multiple pathways. ERF TFs have been identified for their role in improving yield, broad-spectrum resistance to pathogens, and drought, salt, heat, and freezing tolerance. Two key ERF genes (SBERF100 and 097/037) have been selected for functional characterization. SbERF100 is upregulated in response to heat, drought, and combined stress and is expressed in roots and internode regions. Its rice ortholog is involved in mitigating multiple stress responses and enhancing root growth, leading to drought tolerance. The reluctance of sorghum to regeneration and transformation contributes to the scarcity of gene discovery. An efficient regeneration system and working transformation system have been established, providing the necessary expertise and facilities for functional studies. This proposed study aims to conduct in-depth functional characterization of two shortlisted ERF genes in sorghum through genome editing strategies and overexpression studies.