The functionality of sorghum in commercial grain-based food products through the development of highly digestible (IHD) sorghum lines has been evaluated and developed through the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Collaborative Research on Sorghum and Millet (SMIL) global research program for the last seven years.
Why Improve Sorghum Lines?
Due to its affordability and availability, sorghum is a common staple for injera, an Ethiopian authentic flatbread. However, physical and production constraints show sorghum’s limitation in competing with teff in making injera.
 Dr. Joseph Awika, the principal investigator of the SMIL research project and professor at Texas A&M University, said, “This research is focused on improving functional properties of mainly cereal grains to enhance their functionality for human health and nutrition. Sorghum has the potential to influence climate change and offers a major staple for food consumption. We work on ensuring we can make good quality products that appeal to humans and also their health.”
Genetic Improvement Progress
New sorghum hybrids under development combine high protein digestibility (HPD) mutations with waxy and heterodoxy (WX/HX) starch traits in hard endosperm to showcase various concepts of functionality and nutritional quality. Within SMIL, Awika’s research project continues to develop quality grain sorghum processing and utilization attributes.
 Dr. William Rooney, a researcher on the SMIL project and professor at Texas A&M University, has focused much of his career on grain forage improvement, biomass sorghum and bio-energy sorghum through genetic improvement. Rooney, cohort in the research project, shared, “I believe the next step in sorghum improvement is the application of genomic and phenomic selection. If that can be accomplished with appropriate traits, I think a significant increase in productivity will be extended. For me, everything is about improving the process using traits.”
 Three valuable outcomes of the research project have been from genetic improvement:
1. Developed several specialty-type grain sorghums that directly increase health benefits in all areas.
2. Recognized the concept of bio-energy sorghum and the characteristics necessary to produce hybrids within the realm.
3. Expanded hybridization in breeding through new technologies of chromosome manipulation.
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