Transpiration efficiency in the major races of Ethiopian sorghum: unraveling genetic variation for drought adaptation
Sorghum is a crucial cereal crop, recognized for its resilience to arid and semiarid environments. However, drought stress significantly limits its productivity, emphasizing the need to enhance drought tolerance traits. One such trait is transpiration efficiency (TE), which reflects a plant’s abilit...
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| Format: | Article |
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Taylor & Francis Group
2025-12-01
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| Series: | Cogent Food & Agriculture |
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| Online Access: | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/23311932.2025.2516768 |
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| author | Abel Debebe Mitiku Tileye Feyissa Alemu Tirfessa Woldetensaye Habte Nida Chikssa Temesgen Matiwos Menamo Tewodros Mesfin Abebe Kassahun Bante |
| author_facet | Abel Debebe Mitiku Tileye Feyissa Alemu Tirfessa Woldetensaye Habte Nida Chikssa Temesgen Matiwos Menamo Tewodros Mesfin Abebe Kassahun Bante |
| author_sort | Abel Debebe Mitiku |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Sorghum is a crucial cereal crop, recognized for its resilience to arid and semiarid environments. However, drought stress significantly limits its productivity, emphasizing the need to enhance drought tolerance traits. One such trait is transpiration efficiency (TE), which reflects a plant’s ability to use water efficiently. This study tested a core collection of 182 Ethiopian sorghum accessions, representing major races for drought tolerance related traits. The accessions were grown in 16 l lysimeters under a rain-out shelter, employing a randomized complete block design with three replications. Our findings revealed significant genetic variation (p < 0.001) in TE and related traits among sorghum races. Durra races exhibited the highest TE (6–8.5 kg/L), while intermediate races (dura-caudatum, kafir-caudatum, dura-guinea) showed moderate. Conversely, kafir-caudatum, kafir-bicolor, guinea-bicolor, guinea-caudatum, dura-caudatum and bicolor exhibited the lowest TE. Strong correlations were found between TE and traits such as total shoot fresh weight, total shoot dry weight, and leaf number. Principal component analysis identified key traits influencing TE, while cluster analysis grouped accessions into four distinct clusters, with Cluster IV containing genotypes with the highest TE. These findings highlight the potential of TE in breeding water-efficient sorghum varieties and provide valuable genetic resources for enhancing drought tolerance. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e46ab4aae2824f6ea6b80830844b0055 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2331-1932 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-12-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Cogent Food & Agriculture |
| spelling | doaj-art-e46ab4aae2824f6ea6b80830844b00552025-08-20T03:33:08ZengTaylor & Francis GroupCogent Food & Agriculture2331-19322025-12-0111110.1080/23311932.2025.2516768Transpiration efficiency in the major races of Ethiopian sorghum: unraveling genetic variation for drought adaptationAbel Debebe Mitiku0Tileye Feyissa1Alemu Tirfessa Woldetensaye2Habte Nida Chikssa3Temesgen Matiwos Menamo4Tewodros Mesfin Abebe5Kassahun Bante6Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Melkassa Agricultural Research Center, Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research, Adama, EthiopiaInstitute of Biotechnology (IoB), Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, EthiopiaCollege of Agriculture, Kansas State University|KSU, Manhattan, KS, USADepartment of Botany and Plant Pathology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USADepartment of Horticulture and Plant Science, College of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Jimma University, Jimma, EthiopiaDepartment of Multifunctional landscape, Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, Addis Ababa, EthiopiaDepartment of Horticulture and Plant Science, College of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Jimma University, Jimma, EthiopiaSorghum is a crucial cereal crop, recognized for its resilience to arid and semiarid environments. However, drought stress significantly limits its productivity, emphasizing the need to enhance drought tolerance traits. One such trait is transpiration efficiency (TE), which reflects a plant’s ability to use water efficiently. This study tested a core collection of 182 Ethiopian sorghum accessions, representing major races for drought tolerance related traits. The accessions were grown in 16 l lysimeters under a rain-out shelter, employing a randomized complete block design with three replications. Our findings revealed significant genetic variation (p < 0.001) in TE and related traits among sorghum races. Durra races exhibited the highest TE (6–8.5 kg/L), while intermediate races (dura-caudatum, kafir-caudatum, dura-guinea) showed moderate. Conversely, kafir-caudatum, kafir-bicolor, guinea-bicolor, guinea-caudatum, dura-caudatum and bicolor exhibited the lowest TE. Strong correlations were found between TE and traits such as total shoot fresh weight, total shoot dry weight, and leaf number. Principal component analysis identified key traits influencing TE, while cluster analysis grouped accessions into four distinct clusters, with Cluster IV containing genotypes with the highest TE. These findings highlight the potential of TE in breeding water-efficient sorghum varieties and provide valuable genetic resources for enhancing drought tolerance.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/23311932.2025.2516768Transpiration efficiencysorghum racesdrought tolerancecore collectiondurralysimeter |
| spellingShingle | Abel Debebe Mitiku Tileye Feyissa Alemu Tirfessa Woldetensaye Habte Nida Chikssa Temesgen Matiwos Menamo Tewodros Mesfin Abebe Kassahun Bante Transpiration efficiency in the major races of Ethiopian sorghum: unraveling genetic variation for drought adaptation Cogent Food & Agriculture Transpiration efficiency sorghum races drought tolerance core collection durra lysimeter |
| title | Transpiration efficiency in the major races of Ethiopian sorghum: unraveling genetic variation for drought adaptation |
| title_full | Transpiration efficiency in the major races of Ethiopian sorghum: unraveling genetic variation for drought adaptation |
| title_fullStr | Transpiration efficiency in the major races of Ethiopian sorghum: unraveling genetic variation for drought adaptation |
| title_full_unstemmed | Transpiration efficiency in the major races of Ethiopian sorghum: unraveling genetic variation for drought adaptation |
| title_short | Transpiration efficiency in the major races of Ethiopian sorghum: unraveling genetic variation for drought adaptation |
| title_sort | transpiration efficiency in the major races of ethiopian sorghum unraveling genetic variation for drought adaptation |
| topic | Transpiration efficiency sorghum races drought tolerance core collection durra lysimeter |
| url | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/23311932.2025.2516768 |
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