Courtesy: UC ANR
Johnsongrass Research Might Benefit Sorghum
Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center Director Jeff Dahlberg says there are a lot of similarities between the troublesome johnsongrass and sorghum. “They are related, both from the same genus,” Dahlberg said. “Unfortunately johnsongrass can out-cross with our cultivated hybrid sorghums and that’s why you don’t see a roundup-ready sorghum.”
Dahlberg says the project looking at johnsongrass management might lead to some benefits for sorghum as well. “Ideally because they are related, if there is something in johnsongrass that looks like it might benefit grain or forage sorghums, we might be able to take something.” Dahlberg said. “Now there’s a lot of baggage we would have to move with it and a lot of breading work to do just to isolate a particular gene but the potential does exist.”