Allelic variation at a single gene increases food value in a drought-tolerant staple cereal

Edward K. Gilding, Celine H. Frère, Alan Cruickshank, Anna K. Rada, Peter J. Prentis, Agnieszka M. Mudge, Emma S. Mace, David R. Jordan and Ian D. Godwin ()
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Edward K. Gilding: School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, University of Queensland
Celine H. Frère: Centre for Ecology and Conservation, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus
Alan Cruickshank: Fisheries and Forestry, Hermitage Research Facility
Anna K. Rada: Georg August Universität Göttingen, Von Siebold Strasse 8
Peter J. Prentis: School of Earth, Environmental and Biological Sciences, Queensland University of Technology
Agnieszka M. Mudge: School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, University of Queensland
Emma S. Mace: Fisheries and Forestry, Hermitage Research Facility
David R. Jordan: Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, Hermitage Research Facility
Ian D. Godwin: School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, University of Queensland

Nature Communications, 2013, vol. 4, issue 1, 1-6

Abstract: Abstract The production of adequate agricultural outputs to support the growing human population places great demands on agriculture, especially in light of ever-greater restrictions on input resources. Sorghum is a drought-adapted cereal capable of reliable production where other cereals fail, and thus represents a good candidate to address food security as agricultural inputs of water and arable land grow scarce. A long-standing issue with sorghum grain is that it has an inherently lower digestibility. Here we show that a low-frequency allele type in the starch metabolic gene, pullulanase, is associated with increased digestibility, regardless of genotypic background. We also provide evidence that the beneficial allele type is not associated with deleterious pleiotropic effects in the modern field environment. We argue that increasing the digestibility of an adapted crop is a viable way forward towards addressing food security while maximizing water and land-use efficiency.

Date: 2013
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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms2450

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