Biotechnology:: Genetic improvement of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench)

This report reviews the contributions, to the improvement of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) through traditional approaches with emphasis on the application of biotechnological methods. Strategies include breeding for higher yield, improved gain quality, and biotic and abiotic stress tolerance. Hybrid development and polyploidy breeding are also discussed. Plant breeders, working in concert with biotechnologists, have developed new powerful tools for plant genetic manipulation and genotype evaluation that will significantly improve the efficiency of plant breeding. Improving sorghum through biotechnology is the latest in a long series of technologies that have been applied to this crop. Five basic tools of technology have been developed for sorghum improvement: (1) in vitro protocols for efficient plant regeneration; (2) molecular markets, (3) gene identification and cloning; (4) genetic engineering and gene transfer technology to integrate desirable traits into the sorghum genome; and (5), genomics and germplasm databases. Reports on studies involving the. problems, progress, and prospects for utilizing the biotechnological methods for sorghum improvement are discussed.