Current status and prospects of herbicide-resistant grain sorghum (Sorghum bicolor)

Pest Manag Sci. 2022 Feb;78(2):409-415. doi: 10.1002/ps.6644. Epub 2021 Sep 29.

Abstract

Grain sorghum is a versatile crop, which can thrive under limited water and other inputs. However, crop loss from weed infestation continues to be a major constraint in grain sorghum production. Particularly, post-emergence grass weed control is a great challenge in grain sorghum due to the lack of herbicide options. Unlike in other major crops, such as maize or soybean, herbicide-resistant sorghum technology that can facilitate weed control throughout crop growing season is not available to growers yet. The development of herbicide-resistant sorghum can have potential to improve weed management, including post-emergence grass weed control. One of the major concerns in the development of such technology in sorghum is escape of resistance traits into weedy relatives of sorghum (e.g. shattercane and johnsongrass). This review focuses on sources of herbicide resistance in sorghum, the status of the development of herbicide-resistant sorghum technologies, overview of breeding methods, and limitations in the development of such sorghum technology as well as economic benefits for sorghum growers. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.

Keywords: grass weeds; herbicide resistance; sorghum; stewardship.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Herbicide Resistance / genetics
  • Herbicides* / pharmacology
  • Plant Breeding
  • Plant Weeds
  • Sorghum*
  • Weed Control

Substances

  • Herbicides