ICRISAT’s Sorghum Scientists’ Field Day Highlights Over 13,000 Advanced Breeding Innovations
Media Release
Hyderabad, India – ICRISAT brought together leading global experts in sorghum at its headquarters in Patancheru, India, for the Sorghum Scientists’ Field Day on 20–21 March 2025, spotlighting leading innovations poised to transform this climate-smart grain into a crop of the future.
With over 40 delegates from six countries across Asia, Africa, and Latin America, including both public researchers and private-sector leaders, the event showcased next-generation sorghum varieties and technologies designed to boost nutrition, resilience, and incomes in dryland regions worldwide.
This event enabled scientists to learn the new technology for forage and biomass mechanized harvesting. They explored and evaluated over 13,000 sorghum genetic classes, including advanced materials, germplasm, and improved parental lines developed by ICRISAT. Notably, the General Combining Ability (GCA) of these breeds, together with available molecular data, will be accessible to partners upon request.
The plenary session focused on feedback from the field visits and future directions for sorghum cultivation. Participants highlighted the need for forage sorghum with high digestibility and resistance to pests and diseases. They also emphasized developing sweet sorghum lines with high brix value for biofuel applications.
Sorghum developed by ICRISAT constitutes around 60% - 80% (in India) of the active collections utilized by private companies, playing a vital role in enhancing agricultural productivity in dryland regions. Emphasizing the significance of these developments and the event, Dr Ephrem Habyarimana, Principal Scientist and Head of Sorghum Breeding at ICRISAT, said,
“This interactive platform not only allows us to share our advanced breeding materials but also enables our partners to identify promising resources for further research and commercialization.”
Echoing Dr Habyarimana, private sector representatives expressed a demand for consistent hybrids capable of performing reliably across seasons and multi-trait cultivars to ensure wider adaptation by farmers. Discussions also delved into the prospects of cultivating rice fallow sorghum in regions like Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, India.
The occasion witnessed several interactions from the participants. The inaugural session was chaired by Dr ML Jat, Global Research Program Director – Resilient Farm and Food Systems, ICRISAT. He welcomed the participants and encouraged them to provide feedback on the showcased materials. Dr Shyam Prasad, an Entomologist from the Indian Institute of Millets Research (IIMR), highlighted the benefits of timely sowing over late-sown crops and emphasized the need for more post-rainy grain sorghum varieties for food security. Dr Jumbo Bright, representing Sorghum Breeding at ICRISAT Mali, addressed the challenge of low sorghum productivity in Africa, stressing the importance of collaborative efforts to enhance yields.
Dr Stanford Blade, Deputy Director General - Research and Innovation at ICRISAT, remarked on the collaborative nature of the event.
“This field day reinforces our commitment to advancing sorghum breeding by integrating scientific innovation with industry needs. It fosters collaborations that pave the way for developing climate-resilient, high-yielding sorghum varieties for global food, feed, and biofuel applications,” explained Dr Blade.
The Sorghum Scientists’ Field Day underscored ICRISAT’s dedication to enhancing sorghum breeding through innovative practices that meet the needs of farmers and industry stakeholders alike.
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Roseleen Aind
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