Molecular mechanisms of stress resistance in sorghum: Implications for crop improvement strategies
Hongxiang Zheng, Yingying Dang, Xianmin Diao, Na Sui
Abstract
Abiotic stresses, such as drought, salt, extreme temperatures, and heavy metal pollution are the main environmental factors that limit crop growth and yield. Sorghum, a C4 grass plant with high photosynthetic efficiency, can grow in adverse environmental conditions due to its excellent stress resistance characteristics. Therefore, unraveling the stress-resistance mechanism of sorghum could provide a theoretical basis for developing and cultivating stress-resistant crops. The understanding could also help create a conducive environment for using marginal soil in agriculture and ensuring food security. In this review, we have discussed the adaptation mechanisms of sorghum under drought, salinity, temperature, and soil heavy metal stresses, the specific response to stress, the screening of sorghum-resistant germplasm, and the identification and functional analysis of genes and quantitative trait loci (QTL). In addition, we discuss the application potential of different stress-tolerant sorghum germplasms currently reported and emphasize the feasibility and potential use in developing and promoting highly stress-tolerant sorghum in marginal soil.