Sorghum is one of the most important food and feed cereal crops and has been gaining industrial importance in recent years for its biofuel, nutraceutical and antioxidant values. A genetic profile variation study was undertaken for the accumulation of phytochemicals in 61 diverse sorghum accessions differing in their growth habitat and grain color through non-targeted Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) analysis. Mass Spectrometry–Data Independent AnaLysis (MS-DIAL) and MetaboAnalyst identified 221 metabolites belonging to 27 different phytochemicals. Tropical and temperate sorghums were distinct in their metabolic profiles with minimum overlaps, and 51 different metabolites were crucial in differentiating the two groups. Temperate sorghums had the ability to accumulate more of phenolic acids, phytosterols, flavonoids, carotenoids, and tropical sorghums for stress-related amino acids, sugars and fatty acids. Grain-color-based Partial Least Square–Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA) analysis identified 94 Variable Importance in Projections (VIP) metabolites containing majority of flavonoids, phenylpropanoids and phytosterols. This study identified two sorghum lines (IS 7748 and IS 14861) with rich amounts of antioxidants (catechins and epicatechins) belonging to the group of condensed tannins that otherwise do not accumulate commonly in sorghum. Out of 13 metabolic pathways identified, flavonoid biosynthesis showed the highest expression. This study provided new opportunities for developing biofortified sorghum with enhanced nutraceutical and therapeutics through molecular breeding and metabolic engineering.

Greenhouse and field experiments were conducted in Kansas to test various postemergence herbicides for crop safety and weed control in pearl millet. Five pearl millet hybrids were used in greenhouse experiments and three hybrids (Hyb1, Hyb-2k, Hyb-3k) were used in field experiments at two sites. All herbicides were found to be safe (1% to 5% injury) for use on all pearl millet hybrids in both greenhouse and field experiments at 28 d after application (DAA), except imazamox and nicosulfuron, which were noted to cause 22% to 35% injury. At Site 1 at 42 DAA, 2,4-D, dicamba, bromoxynil + pyrasulfotole, 2,4-D + bromoxynil + fluroxypyr, and dicamba + 2,4-D effectively controlled Palmer amaranth by 88% to 91%, and density was reduced to 2 to 4 plants m⁻² compared with 18 plants m⁻² in nontreated control plots. The least control (60% to 65%) and greatest density (8 plants m⁻²) of Palmer amaranth was observed after applications of imazamox and nicosulfuron. In contrast, green foxtail was effectively controlled by 91% to 92%, and density was reduced to just 2 plants m⁻² when imazamox and nicosulfuron were applied, whereas 13 plants m⁻² were recorded in a nontreated control plot at 42 DAA. No weed emergence was observed at Site 2 regardless of treatment, including nontreated plots. High grain yields were recorded (Hyb1, 3,866 to 4,619 kg ha⁻¹; Hyb-2k, 2,222 to 3,699 kg ha⁻¹; and Hyb-3k, 822 to 1,315 kg ha⁻¹) at both sites after applications of 2,4-D + bromoxynil + fluroxypyr. These results highlight that the postemergence herbicides tested in this study, except imazamox and nicosulfuron, can be safely used for weed control in fields of pearl millet.

Pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum L. R. Br.), a climate-resilient crop with rich nutritional clues, that can be a promising source for dietary diversification. This study was aimed at systematic measurement of genetic variation for key nutritional traits and therapeutic clues in a diverse panel of 232 pearl millet genotypes and identifying genetic loci linked to the accumulation of key nutritional traits through metabolome based genome-wide association study (mGWAS) and identification of putative candidate genes through haplotype analysis. GWAS analysis using a total of 30,488 high-quality single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) obtained through genotyping by sequencing with a minor allele frequency (MAF > 0.05) identified 124 significant quantitative trait nucleotides (QTNs) linked to 13 different nutritional traits. putative candidate genes linked to lipid/antioxidant traits were found to be involved in fatty acid elongation, desaturation, phytosterol metabolism and phenolic acid biosynthesis. Haplotype analysis detected novel allelic variantions influencing accumulation of secondary metabolites. Pearl millet genotypes viz., ARCH75R, ARCH12B and PI197417 exhibited superior lipid and antioxidant profiles, highlighting their potential for utility in breeding for biofortification in pearl millet. These findings provide novel insights into the molecular mechanisms regulating accumulation of bioactive compounds in pearl millet and paved way for developing high yielding and nutrient-dense pearl millet, genotypes through molecular breeding.