GWAS of grain color and tannin content in Chinese sorghum based on whole-genome sequencing.

Seventy-three QTL related to grain color and tannin content were identified in Chinese sorghum accessions, and a new recessive allelic variant of TAN2 gene was discovered. Sorghum is mainly used for brewing distilled liquors in China. Since grain tannins play an important role in liquor brewing, accurately understanding the relationship between grain color and tannin content can provide basis for selection standards of tannin sorghum.

Selection Signatures in Chinese Sorghum Reveals Its Unique Liquor-Making Properties.

Chinese sorghum (S. bicolor) has been a historically critical ingredient for brewing famous distilled liquors ever since Yuan Dynasty (749 ∼ 652 years BP). Incomplete understanding of the population genetics and domestication history limits its broad applications, especially that the lack of genetics knowledge underlying liquor-brewing properties makes it difficult to establish scientific standards for sorghum breeding.