Broad Spectrum and Complete Fungal Resistance in Sorghum is Conferred by a Natural Antisense Regulated Immune Receptor

Fungal disease is a major challenge in crop production. Sorghum is an important food crop in Africa and parts of Asia. In the United States, sorghum is used primarily for livestock feed and ethanol production. Recently, the United States has seen an increase in Sorghum's use as food given it is gluten-free. Anthracnose is the leading global disease of sorghum. While anthracnose resistant germplasm is available, specific resistance regulators and mechanisms of function have not been determined. There is a need to identify these fungal resistance mechanisms used by sorghum plants and exploit such mechanisms to generate broad-spectrum resistance in the plant.

Researchers at Purdue University have identified a gene that could improve disease resistance in crops susceptible to disease. It confers broad-spectrum and complete resistance in sorghum and other plants, such as wheat, barley, rice, maize, oats, rye, or millet. Genome editing directly in improved and adapted cultivars to generate broad-spectrum resistance will considerably shorten the breeding cycle and make it possible to determine the precise means of regulation. This gene will be useful in generating disease resistant plants.

Advantages:

-Reliable fungal resistance

-Shortened breeding cycle

-Breeding disease-resistant plants

-Reduced crop loss

Potential Applications:

-Crop producers

-Agricultural companies

-Seed companies

TRL: 2

Intellectual Property:

Keywords: Fungal resistance, crop production, sorghum, anthracnose, disease resistance, gluten-free, livestock feed, ethanol production, genome editing, breeding cycle, seed companies, agricultural companies, crop producers, Agriculture, Biotechnology, Crop Improvements, Crop Management, Disease Resistance, Fungal Pathogens, Plant Genetics