The goal of this CSP is deep-sequencing of highly diverse sorghum lines to assemble and analyze the pan-genome of this important bioenergy crop. Sorghum is a promising lignocellulosic and saccharine bioenergy crop, one of the DOE-JGI’s flagship species, and an important food and feed crop. In order to accelerate breeding and development of elite sorghum lines as well as determine the genetic basis of its valuable traits, such as remarkable drought and heat tolerance, we must develop a more complete understanding of the genetic diversity within sorghum as a species. To accomplish this goal, the sorghum pan-genome project will (1) select a diverse collection of sorghum lines designed to capture the majority of genomic structural variation within the species; (2) conduct whole genome sequencing and transcriptome profiling using the PacBio and Illumina platforms; and (3) de novo assemble, annotate and characterize the sequenced genomes. The de novo assembled and resequenced sorghum genomes obtained in this CSP will allow for accelerated gene discovery and increased understanding of the impact of genome-wide variation on phenotypes within an important crop and bioenergy species.
Proposer: Todd Mockler, Danforth Center