Researcher(s)
- Catherine Dotchel, Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Delaware
Faculty Mentor(s)
- Qi Mu, Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Delaware
Abstract
Title: Uncovering Trait Relationships in Sorghum: A Study of Tx430 × P898012 RILs
Authors: Dotchel C, Chropka G, Weldekidan T, Kim J, Mu Q
Abstract:
Recombinant Inbred Line (RIL) populations are created by crossing two inbred lines and repeatedly self-pollinating those offspring for multiple generations. They are stable populations ideal for precision phenotyping. Sorghum bicolor is a widely used cereal crop for human consumption, livestock feed, and biofuel production; as climate change threatens productivity, genetic research on climate-resilient crops such as sorghum is increasingly important. This study aims to characterize phenotypic relationships within a sorghum RILs population (derived from a Tx430 × P898012 cross), and to compare germination rates between the current and previous growing seasons to identify potential factors underlying observed differences. Phenotypic data were collected from 500 field plots across two replications in a randomized complete block design (RCBD). Over 11 weeks, we measured stand count, tiller number, canopy height at multiple growth stages, flowering time, and photosynthetic performance using the MultispeQ v2.0 device. To investigate differences in germination, stand count were evaluated in relation to weather conditions and seed treatments across both growing seasons. Preliminary analyses include replicate correlations and ANOVA to assess genetic variations, followed by correlation analyses among traits. These results will provide insight into relationships among agronomic traits and improve our understanding of phenotypic variation within this sorghum RIL population.