Australia: Solid sorghum stems secret to success in battling lodging issues

Just like humans need a strong frame and healthy bones to help us to perform, so to do plant require a strong stem to provide structural integrity. Breeding sorghum varieties with a stronger stem, less prone to lodging, is likely to see more grain in the bin for summer croppers across the country. A research project, lead by the University of Queensland, has targeted improving stem strength and is confident there will be a yield boost from varieties with the trait. The work was part of a five year, $12 million investment into cutting losses from lodging. Andrew Borrell from the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI) said sorghum lodging occurs when the plant doesn't have enough water and costs growers an average $12 million a year in yield. Professor Burrell said unlike winter crops, which often lodge due to wet conditions in the spring, sorghum's lodging was generally due to dry conditions during grain fill. "Lodging is where the stem breaks just before ...