Sorghum roots are associated with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and diazotrophic bacteria that aid plant acquisition of phosphate and nitrogen required for growth. Deep roots also enable uptake of water from soil profiles increasing drought resilience. Deep roots enable the efficient uptake of nitrogen fertilizer from the soil profile preventing leaching into water supplies and reducing the production of nitrous oxide, a potent greenhouse gas. Engineering stem biopolymersĪnatomy of surface and deep sorghum roots.īioenergy sorghum roots with specialized anatomy reach a depth of 2–3 meters by the end of the season. Mullet, Sorghum Dw2 encodes a protein kinase regulator of stem internode length. Rooney, Energy sorghum – A genetic model for the design of C4 grass bioenergy crops. Current research focuses on elucidating the signaling pathways that regulate the extent of stem growth during the vegetative phase and the switch from stem growth to flowering. Prior to flowering, stem growth is regulated by light-signaling from leaves to stems, hormone signaling, and lipid signaling within stems. These internal and environmental inputs regulate the expression of genes in leaves that encode mobile peptides that move to and reprogram the shoot apical meristem to produce flowers instead of stems. Flowering time regulates by stage of development, the circadian clock, red-light signaling pathways, and temperature. Flowering and stem growth regulationīioenergy sorghum genotypes characterize the growth of very long stems due in part to delayed flowering. Mullet, The sorghum bicolor reference genome: Improved assembly and annotations, a transcriptome atlas, and signatures of genome organization. This information is enabling the engineering of key pathways and traits using gene-editing technology. This information is being used to identify gene regulatory networks and signaling pathways that guide plant development and mediate adaptive responses to the environment. In collaboration with the Joint Genome Institute, our team is constructing a transcriptome compendium that includes gene expression profiles of every sorghum organ, tissue, and cell type, stage of development, and responses to the environment. The sorghum genome encodes ~34,000 genes that differentially express in specific organs, tissues, and cell types during development and in response to variation in the environment. The Mullet laboratory is researching bioenergy sorghum, a high-yielding, drought- and heat-resilient C4 grass. Our research team is using a combination of genetic, genomic, and biochemical approaches to generate knowledge of biochemical pathways and gene regulatory networks that will enable the design of next-generation climate-resilient bioenergy crops. To help meet this need, the Mullet laboratory is collaborating with scientists affiliated with DOE Bioenergy Research Centers and the National Labs to acquire knowledge that will enable the design of next-generation crops. ![]() Improvements in plant productivity, resilience, and composition are needed to provide food, feed, biofuels, and bio-products for a rapidly developing world population that will reach ~10 billion by 2050.
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