Scientists scanned the genomes of 69 sorghum plants to find genes shaped by thousands of years of human farming and natural selection. They pinpointed a small set of genes likely responsible for drought tolerance, disease resistance, and seed quality — traits that made sorghum one of the world's most important grains.
1
Four ion transporter genes showing signs of selective sweeps all map to genomic regions linked to drought resilience, making them strong candidates for engineering more water-efficient sorghum.
2
15 genes carry damaging mutations that are fixed differently between wild and domesticated sorghum, with 2 disease-resistance genes showing statistical signatures of very recent selection pressure.
3
22 genes show convergent selection across sorghum, maize, and rice — meaning independent domestication events across three major cereals repeatedly favored changes in the same biological pathways.
mail
Weekly plant science — one email, Saturdays.
Check your inbox to confirm — link expires in 24 hours.
Something went wrong — please try again.
Too many signup attempts from your network. Try again in an hour, or email hello@plant.news.
