Genome-based pool development for enhancement of additive heterotic and dominant effects in sorghum hybrids

The focal point of my research is the use of in-silico simulation to recombine and establish important traits in sorghum. On a global scale, sorghum is one of the most widely grown cereal crops and has significant economic importance. However, sorghum is sensitive to low temperatures throughout its development, from germination to reproduction, and this limits its adaptation to temperate regions. Therefore, the objectives of my research are: 1. To expand and separate sorghum heterotic pools by maximizing recombination and fixing dominance effects for European breeding of cold tolerance and resistance traits. 2. Using novel methods such as AI models for the identification of optimum crossing and selection strategies for the enhancement of within-pool recombination of complex cold tolerance traits. 3. Optimization of the use of genetic resources in breeding pools by in-silico investigation of optimum contribution selection schemes for hybrid sorghum. 4. Step-by-step implementation and validation of the identified best-practice strategies in the JLU sorghum breeding pools for rapid establishment of enhanced heterotic pools.