BATAN and SEAMEO BIOTROP Collaborate on Sorghum Research

The South East Asian Regional Centre for Tropical Biology in cooperation with BATAN (National Atomic Energy Agency) will conduct research on sorghum BATAN strains in Bogor, Indonesia. Sorghum ranks fifth among the food crops in the world after wheat, paddy, corn, and barley. It is cultivated for human consumption, animal feed and  is considered as a "food security crop". It can also be used as a feedstock for ethanol production, source of fiber for paper production, a degradable plastic and media for mushroom culture.

The research collaboration will focus on sorghum as a crop in rotation with teak and jatropha; studies on growth of mycorrhiza for soil fertility; and on the use of sorghum materials for biocharcoal. BATAN has already developed the sorghum breeding program and produced several promising strains which could grow on dry, saline, as well as acid soils. Adaptation tests have been conducted in various places such as Tangerang, Gunung Kidul, Lampung, and East Kalimantan with very significant results.

For more information, visit http://www.biotrop.org or http://www.batan.go.id. For information on biotechnology in Indonesia, contact Dewi Suryani of Indonesia Biotechnology Information Center at dewisuryani@biotrop.org.