Project objectives

1. Screening of promising grain sorghum varieties and breeding lines of domestic and foreign origin for breeding value in order to identify genotypes with a complex of economically valuable traits.To achieve this objective, a comprehensive three-year evaluation of 30 varieties will be conducted based on morphological, biological, and quality traits. Simultaneously, documentationwillbe maintained and a database will be developed. Informative traits for selection for stress tolerance will be identified, as well as key selection criteria at the early stages of ontogenesis.

2. To study the influence of agronomic practices on grain and green biomass yield of grain sorghum under rice-based farming systems in the Kazakh Aral Sea region.
Optimal sowing dates, seeding rates, and fertilizer application rates will be determined for the studied set of varieties based on productivity performance.

3. To conduct a biochemical evaluation of grain and green biomass (hay) of grain sorghum to determine its nutritional value, including protein, lysine, starch, feed unit content, and other indicators.Varieties will be identified that meet the following criteria: amino acid content in grain of not less than 42.0 g/kg, and in green biomass not exceeding 30 g/kg.

4. To develop a variety model of grain sorghum for the Kyzylorda region and select promising varieties that match the developed model.Two to three high-yielding varieties will be identified with a shortened vegetation period (not exceeding 90 days), salinity tolerance above 85%, and drought resistance rated at 9 points, while also demonstrating superior grain and hay quality traits, for further registration as varieties and subsequent regional zoning.

5. Dissemination of project results: publication of 2 articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals indexed in Scopus CiteScore with a percentile of not less than 50, as well as 1 (one) article in domestic scientific journals recommended by the Committee for Quality Assurance in the Field of Science and Higher Education of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan (hereinafter – KOQES).

Expected results

1. Publication 2 (two) articles in peer-reviewed scientific publications, indexed in CiteScore in the Scopus database and having a percentile of at least 50 (fifty), as well as 1 (one) article in domestic scientific publications recommended by the Quality Assurance Committee in the field science and higher education of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

2. Based on the research results, a monograph of 10.0 pp will be prepared.

3. An application for a patent of a selection achievement of the Republic of Kazakhstan will be submitted.

4. Recommendations will be prepared on the technology of cultivating grain sorghum for the introduction of a new variety into production on the saline soils of the Kazakhstan Aral Sea region.

5. The results of this development will be widely used in agricultural formations of Kazakhstan, where the sown area of ​​forage crops needs to be increased in order to obtain green mass, hay, haylage and grain for the rapidly developing livestock industry.

6. Scientific results will be widely used in theoretical and practical breeding, where the selected valuable samples of grain sorghum will serve as source material for the practical selection of domestic varieties that are resistant to the stressful conditions of the Kazakhstan Aral Sea region and will be of great interest in the field of genetic research of crops. Selection and genetic improvement of new varieties will increase the profitability of their cultivation in production.

Results

The analysis of the 2025 ecological variety trial results for the trait «vegetation period duration» showed that plant growth dynamics during interphase periods were uneven, while the rate and intensity of growth were largely determined by the biological characteristics of specific grain sorghum varieties and accessions.

In terms of earliness, the varieties of the company «Alfaseed» (Premium, 85 days), as well as varieties from “Agroplasma” (86–92 days) and «Rossorgo» breeding lines (83–94 days), demonstrated the best performance. The control variety Tagamdyk 2017 belongs to the early-maturing group (96–110 days). Most varieties from the ICRISAT collection and the Karakalpak Research Institute of Agriculture were characterized as mid-maturing (126-140 days).

Regarding the morphological trait «plant height» (to the tip of the panicle) at the milk ripeness stage of grain, according to E.S. Yakushevsky’s classification, three varieties were classified as very short (less than 100 cm). A total of 36 varieties and accessions, including Tagamdyk 2017, had plant heights ranging from 101 to 150 cm and were classified as short-statured. On average, five varieties showed intermediate plant height values ranging from 151 to 168 cm. Tall varieties included Boy Jugari (252 cm) from the Karakalpak Research Institute of Agriculture collection, Palestinian White (207 cm), and Korean Gaolian (210 cm) from the South-West Research Institute of Livestock and Plant Production branch.

The maximum accumulation of green biomass at the milk–wax ripeness stage was recorded in accessions from the ICRISAT collection (38.6–44.2 t/ha) and the Karakalpak Research Institute of Agriculture (42.0–48.4 t/ha), which were also characterized by the greatest plant height, as well as in the Premium variety from «Alfaseed», which demonstrated good leafiness.

Analysis of the obtained data showed that varieties from «Alfaseed», «Rossorgo», and «Agroplasma» had a thousand-seed weight ranging from 30.6 to 35.8 g, exceeding the control and being classified as large-seeded. The highest seed size was observed in the varieties Scarlet (35.4 g), Sambur (36.6 g), as well as KafrskoyeRozovoye (38.8 g) and ROR Sorghum (36.4 g) from the South-West Research Institute of Livestock and Plant Production collection. High productivity was recorded in Scarlet (9.42 t/ha) and Samurai (8.8 t/ha).

Based on the analysis of variability of quantitative traits, economically valuable traits determining high yield potential of grain sorghum varieties and accessions under stress conditions were preliminarily identified.

Overall, these characteristics indicate a high level of agronomic stability of the studied varieties to environmental stress factors of the Kazakh Aral Sea region, such as drought and salinity. This reflects their good adaptation to the soil and climatic conditions of the region and demonstrates their significant potential for practical breeding of new high-yielding varieties.

Seeds of 20 grain sorghum varieties and accessions from the global collection, obtained during the 2025 ecological variety trial, were transferred to the gene pool of the Aral Experimental Station of Plant Genetic Resources named after N.I. Vavilov – a branch of LLP «South-West Research Institute of Animal Husbandry and Crop Production» (Shalkar, Aktobe region).