Establishment of a genome-editing system to create fragrant germplasm in sweet sorghum.

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Sorghum, the fifth largest global cereal crop, comprises various types, such as grain, sweet, forage, and biomass sorghum, delineated by their designated end uses. Among these, sweet sorghum ( (L.) Moench) stands out for its unique versatility, exceptional abiotic stress tolerance and large biomass serving the multi-purpose of high-sugar forage, syrup, and biofuel production. Despite its significance, functional genomic research and biotechnological breeding in sweet sorghum are still in nascent stages, necessitating more efficient genetic transformation and genome-editing techniques. This study unveils Gaoliangzhe (GZ), an elite sweet sorghum variety for heightened resistance to salinity and drought. Through the establishment of an -mediated genetic transformation and CRISPR/Cas9-based genome-editing system in GZ, a breakthrough is achieved. Using genome-editing technology, we first produced a fragrant sweet sorghum line by targeting the  () gene. Our results establish a strong foundation for further functional genomic research and biotechnological breeding of sweet-sorghum varieties.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s42994-024-00180-6.