This document summarizes a product catalogue for sorghum genetic resources and ongoing sorghum research projects. It lists 22 products available in the catalogue, including germplasm, genotyping and phenotyping datasets. It notes issues around conserving genetic stocks and breeding products. Six ongoing projects are briefly described, focusing on improving sorghum drought tolerance, productivity and phosphorus efficiency. Project timelines and funding sources are provided. The document outlines next steps needed for two projects, including seed increase and new genotyping strategies.

1. Product catalogue
= tangible products currently available
• Currently 6 products listed in the catalogue!
• Reviewed information for all of them
• Added 16 more products
– Germplasm
– Sorghum Reference Set (GCP Phase 1)
– BC lines containing stay-green introgressions from Australian project
– RMP populations with segregation for AltSB and PSTOL1
– Genotyping datasets
– 200k GBS dataset from 188 diverse lines and varieties from WA
– SSR datasets on Reference and composite set (GCP Phase 1)
– Kaspar SNP fingerprinting dataset
– Phenotyping datasets
– Dataset on low-P phenotyping
– Aluminium tolerance diversity data
– Phenotyping data of the GCP reference set
• Commited to provide a summary information for each of it

2. Product catalogue
General issues
• Genetic stocks conservation and distribution
– Not part of Genbank mandate
– Need to get record of Reference Set recipients
• Conservation of breeding products in breeding
programs is an issue
– Conservation infrastructure (fridges, cold room)
– Backup in regional genbanks?

3. Ongoing projects
Code Title Status
1 G3008.05 Discovery and development of alleles contributing to sorghum drought
tolerance
NCE 30th Sep 2014
2 G4008.48 Improve sorghum productivity in semi-arid environments of Mali through
integrated MARS
NCE 15th Oct 2014
3 G4012.01/G70
09.04
Development and evaluation of drought-adapted sorghum germplasm for
Africa and Australia (G4012.01: Phase II)
Phase I: Complete
Phase II in progress
4 G7010.05.01 Enhancing sorghum grain yield and quality for the Sudano-Sahelian zone of
West Africa using the backcross nested association mapping (BCNAM)
approach
NCE 15th Oct 2014
5 G701003.03 Establishing a molecular breeding program based on the aluminum
tolerance genes, AltSB, and the P efficiency QTL, Pup-1, for increasing
sorghum production in sub-Saharan Africa
March 2014, NCE in progress
6 Improving phosphorus efficiency in sorghum by the identification and
validation of sorghum homologs for Pup1, a major QTL underlying
phosphorus uptake in rice (SorghumPup1)
March 2014, NCE in progress

4. Project Status/completion
• Scientific activities completed for all projects by
end of 2014
• Limit for NCE?
• Breeding activities to be continued (variety
development)
• MARS project
• BCNAM project
• PSTOL1/AltSB molecular breeding project
➙End of 2017
➙Sources of funding: CRP, Syngenta Foundation, …

5. Project Status/completion
• BCNAM project
– Redefine germplasm product as BC1F4 bulks
• Need seed increase (5000 families - 15plant rows)
– Revisite Genotyping strategy (GBS)
• Need new leaf sampling and DNA isolation
• GBS facility: Cornell, …?
– Need for deep re-sequencing of parents (40k)
– CB: 2 PhD students starting end of 2013
• Stay-Green Australian project
– Genotyping of 4 RIL populations: to be handled by GSS