Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Collaborative Research on Sorghum and Millet

Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Genomics-Assisted Sorghum Breeding

Lead institutions: CHIBAS - Quisqueya University, Kansas State University and Cornell University
Award amount: $1,081,985
Focus countries: Haiti

Principal investigators: Gael Pressoir, Geoffrey Morris and Edward Buckler
U.S. collaborating institutions: Kansas State University, Cornell University
International collaborating institutions:Haiti - CHIBAS - Quisqueya University

Globally, there is great interest in applying new genomic technologies to accelerate genetic gains in developing country breeding programs. However, these methods have not been adopted in developing country NARS due a mismatch between available genomic selection approaches and the existing operations of NARS breeding programs. This project aims to develop genomic approaches from within a NARS breeding program to reduce barriers for adoption. Specifically, these improved genomics selection approaches will be deployed to address several key constraints for dual-purpose sorghums used by smallholders in Haiti. The targets will be improving grain yield while maintaining forage yield and quality, improving tolerance to low/high pH soils, and improving tolerance to post-emergence and post-flowering water limitation.

By designing genomics-assisted breeding approaches in a NARS, the resulting technology will be better suited for adoption by other NARS globally. The tools and resources developed in this project will facilitate adoption of genomics-assisted breeding by partner programs in West and East Africa and will be diffused globally via breeding informatics initiatives (GOBII and BMS).

For more information about the project, contact:

Dr. Gael Pressoir, Research Director
Quisqueya University/CHIBAS
+509 3702 4904
gael.pressoir@chibas-bioenergy.org

 

Dr. Geoffrey Morris, Assistant Professor
Kansas State University
+1-785-532-3397
gpmorris@ksu.edu

 

 

Dr. Edward Buckler, Adjunct Professor
Cornell University
+607-255-4520
esb33@cornell.edu