The National Grain Sorghum Producers Foundation (NGSPF) and Cibus LLC today announced their collaboration to develop and commercialize a new type of Non-GMO grain sorghum using technology known as Rapid Trait Development System (RTDS).

"Cibus, the company that developed RTDS, has some outstanding scientists who were able to develop herbicide resistance without going to another species," said Dr. Bruce Maunder, President of NGSPF and formerly Sorghum Research Director/Breeder for DEKALB Genetics. "They have a proven track record and they've already successfully done this with both rice and canola."

Maunder said that the Cibus technology provides an easier way to obtain desirable traits and when successful, it will also take less time to get into producers' fields.

The collaboration between NGSPF and Cibus grew out of a need to control weeds and grasses in sorghum so that growers could realize improved yields and better profitability.

"Every time we have a weed problem, we have a tendency to reduce yields," said Maunder. "Since we grow sorghum under less rainfall than other crops, the competition from weeds causes us even greater losses because the weeds have a tendency to go after that moisture in many cases faster than the sorghum crop does. Anytime we can make the crop more drought tolerant by giving it less competition, its going to just enable sorghum to be a better fit for the producer."

Maunder said that current grass control options for sorghum are incomplete and expensive.

The new trait will be a departure from the glyphosate-tolerant varieties developed in other crops, and will help producers who have problems with johnsongrass, shattercane, sorghum aulum and volunteer glyphosate-tolerant crops. "It gives them more ease of control," said Maunder.

NGSPF was established to promote and fund the improvement of sorghum and its uses both nationally and internationally. It is affiliated with the National Sorghum Producers, an organization that works to ensure the profitability of sorghum production through market development, research, education and legislative representation.

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Audio with Dr. Bruce Maunder, President of the National Grain Sorghum Producers Foundation (NGSPF) and formerly Sorghum Research Director/Breeder for DEKALB Genetics.