Researchers Identify Genes that Help Sorghum Resist Striga by Preventing its Germination

Chinese scientists have identified two specific genes in sorghum, SbSLT1 and SbSLT2, that confer resistance to Striga, a major parasitic plant responsible for major crop losses. When the two genes are knocked out, the plant's resistance to Striga, commonly known as witch-weed, significantly increases.

This discovery sheds light on the natural defense mechanisms of sorghum. Also, it demonstrates how AI can predict critical amino acid sites in strigolactone (SL) transporters—insights that could enhance resistance to parasitic plants in various crops. The research team from the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, China Agricultural University, Syngenta Group China, Yazhouwan National Laboratory, and the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences pinpointed key amino acid sites in SL transport channels that enhance crop resistance to parasitic plants.

The experiments showed that sorghum lines with single or double knockouts of these transporters exhibit significantly reduced SL secretion from roots, leading to decreased Striga germination and parasitism in field experiments and consequently reducing grain loss under Striga infestation. The sorghum plants with knocked-out SbSLT1 and SbSLT2 genes exhibited 67–94% lower infestation rates and 49–52% less yield loss.

For more details, read this article or download the paper in Cell (needs a subscription).