SMIL
Sorghum and Millet Innovation Lab
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Feed the Future Innovation Lab for
Collaborative Research on Sorghum and Millet
Newsletter - August 2022
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Improving Food and Feed Value of Sorghum Through Targeted Research and Technology
SMIL research project focuses on efforts to develop sorghum varieties with improved protein digestibility in West Africa.
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The protein digestibility and nutritional value of vast quantities of sorghum grown worldwide are being improved through the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Collaborative Research on Sorghum and Millet (SMIL) global research program.
Since 2018, SMIL has been using targeted research and technology transfer to enhance sorghum production and nutritional value in cooperation with their international partners: Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique du Niger (INRAN), Université Abdou Moumouni de Niamey (UAM), Centre d’Etudes Régional pour l’Amélioration de l’Adaptation à la Sécheresse (CERAAS), Centre National de Recherche Agronomique (CNRA), Institut Sénégalais de Recherches Agricoles (ISRA), and Institut de Technologie Alimentaire (ITA).
 Why Focus on Sorghum and Protein?
Sorghum is a staple crop for hundreds of millions of consumers, and more than 50% of the global acreage of sorghum is produced in Africa. It is the second most important cereal crop in yearly production in the area. However, protein availability can be limited in sorghum, especially after wet cooking.
Dr. Elisabeth Diatta-Holgate, a researcher on the project, said, “My research is making sorghum more nutrient available. Sorghum, naturally, when it is cooked, has its nutrients trapped, making it less available to the consumer. I work on improving the availability of nutrients in the consumed sorghum so the consumer benefits. Malnutrition will be something that we can fight with sorghum.”
 Senegal Lab is Vital Aspect of Project
Researchers on the project have identified allelic variations in genes that influence grain and forage quality and, more specifically, protein digestibility. A large part of the efforts is the Protein Digestibility Lab in Senegal, the center of research for the project in West Africa.
After a new variety was developed in the lab, researchers engaged local farmers and end users to evaluate the varieties being created. Sorghum is a crop that is already drought-resistant and has adapted to the climate and soil of West Africa, so these local partners were explicitly focused on the bread- and couscous-making qualities of the grain.
 Dr. Mitch Tuinstra, principal investigator of the SMIL research project and professor of Plant Breeding and Genetics Agronomy at Purdue University, said, “I think one of the important take-home points of the SMIL program is improving crops that are locally adapted to climate change and variability, and that's really what improves their resilience.”
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SMIL research project focuses on efforts to develop sorghum varieties with improved protein digestibility in West Africa.
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The SMIL program invests in the next generation of researchers to continue shifting the future of these research programs to be in the focus country.
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Le projet de recherche SMIL se concentre sur les efforts visant à développer des variétés de sorgho à meilleure digestibilité des protéines en Afrique de l'Ouest.
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Le programme SMIL investit dans la prochaine génération de chercheurs pour continuer à faire évoluer l'avenir de ces programmes de recherche vers le pays cible.
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SMIL Attended Kansas Agriculture Summit
The Kansas Department of Agriculture hosted the 7th annual Kansas Governor's Summit on Agricultural Growth on August 18, 2022, at the Manhattan Conference Center in Manhattan, Kansas. The Agriculture Summit involved farmers, ranchers, and agribusinesses working together in a collaborative setting to discuss growing the agriculture industry in Kansas and around the world. Find more information here.
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SMIL Attended BIFAD Online Meeting
We enjoyed attending the Board for International Food and Agricultural Development (BIFAD) online meeting about systemic solutions for climate change adaptation and mitigation in aagriculture, nutrition, and food systems. Learn more here.
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Save the Dates
Le Corum Conference Center
Montpellier, France
Monday, June 5 - Friday, June 9, 2023
Planning is underway for the 2023 Global Sorghum Conference in Montpellier France, scheduled for June 5-9, 2023. The website is https://www.21centurysorghum.org
Registration opens on Saturday, October 1, 2022.
The deadline for oral presentation submission is Tuesday, January 31, 2023.
The deadline for poster submission is Thursday, March 30, 2023.
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The SMIL website has a new video library. We want to continue adding videos from the work and research of our research teams and collaborators.
If you are not following the SMIL Twitter and LinkedIn accounts and subcribed to our YouTube channel, please do.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sorghummillet
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sorg_millet_lab
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFYVkjKghI0tt2DiA6m5k9w
Simply copy and paste the links to share with friends and colleagues!
We are working to grow the SMIL network and connect with global sorghum and millet community members. Please share this newsletter and our SMIL social media networks with your colleagues so we can all continue to learn from each other.
If you have not subsribed to receive our monthly newsletters, subscribe today!
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