Sorghum is vulnerable to many biotic and abiotic stresses, which cause considerable yield losses globally. Efforts to genetically characterize beneficial sorghum traits, including disease resistance, plant architecture, and tolerance to abiotic stresses, are ongoing. One challenge faced by sorghum researchers is its recalcitrance to transformation, which has slowed gene validation efforts and utilization for cultivar development.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Leaf angle is an important plant architecture trait, affecting plant density, light interception efficiency, photosynthetic rate, and yield. The "smart canopy" model proposes more vertical leaves in the top plant layers and more horizontal leaves in the lower canopy, maximizing conversion efficiency and photosynthesis. Sorghum leaf arrangement is opposite to that proposed in the "smart canopy" model, indicating the need for improvement.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSoybean aphids ( Matsumura) are invasive insect pests of soybean, and they cause significant yield losses. Resistance to soybean aphids is conferred by Resistance to () genes. Since the first discovery of aphid-resistant soybean genotypes in 2004, several studies have attempted to characterize genes from aphid-resistant soybean genotypes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCultivation of aphid-resistant soybean varieties can reduce yield losses caused by soybean aphids. However, discovery of aphid biotypes that are virulent on resistant soybean greatly threatens sustained utilization of host plant resistance to control soybean aphids. The objective of this study was to identify and genetically characterize aphid resistant soybean accessions in a diverse collection of 308 plant introductions in maturity groups (MG) I and II.
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