ACCI News

PhD study unlocks potential sorghum windfall

A sorghum pre-breeding project undertaken by ACCI PhD graduate Muhammad Ahmad Yahaya, has produced novel progenies that could potentially improve sorghum production in Nigeria. Sorghum is a vital food-security crop for Nigeria, which is the largest producer of this crop in Africa. Dr Yahaya was awarded a doctorate for his research in 2023.

Yahaya, who hails from Kano State, a dry region in northern Nigeria, began his research in 2019, focusing on Pre-Breeding of Sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] for drought tolerance in the semi-arid zones of Nigeria. He grew up in a rural, farming family, which he says gave him a “deep appreciation for agriculture and the vital role it plays in improving livelihoods”. This has greatly influenced his career path and professional goals.

“I was inspired to study plant breeding after seeing the struggles of smallholder farmers in northern Nigeria. Many rely on unimproved varieties that are low-yielding and unsuitable for the changing climate and semi-arid conditions. Plant breeding offers an opportunity to develop high-yielding, climate-smart cultivars to improve farmers’ livelihoods and food security. He completed a bachelor’s degree in agriculture and a master’s in plant breeding at Ahmadu Bello University.

Yahaya’s research was sponsored by the Accelerated Varietal Improvement and Seed Delivery of Legumes and Dryland Cereals in Africa (AVISA) project, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

“I used both phenotypic and genotypic tools to identify drought-tolerant genotypes with high yield potential. These identified genotypes were further utilized as parents to develop new populations with unique combining abilities, paving the way for selective breeding resilient cultivars suited to drought-prone areas.”

It was during this research that a potentially significant discovery was made. “An interesting discovery emerged from crossing small-statured sorghum genotypes from ACCI with tall landraces from Nigeria,” says Yahaya. “These cross-produced unique progenies that are medium in height and early maturing, which are ideal traits for semi-arid environments. These progenies have shown great potential, and we are currently advancing the generations to develop male-sterile A-lines suitable for three-way hybrid breeding systems in Nigeria. This unexpected outcome holds promise for improving sorghum production in the country,” he says.

Yahaya’s research was not all plain sailing. He had to deal with the lack of high-throughput phenotyping facilities at his research station in Nigeria and the complexities of analyzing large datasets generated from molecular work. “To address these challenges, I took advantage of training opportunities in Biostatistics and Quantitative Genetics at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN): He also used the phenotyping facilities at the Controlled Environment Facility (CEF) of the African Centre for Crop Improvement (ACCI) to screen germplasm and generate reliable data. “These resources and experiences greatly enhanced the quality of my research,” he says.

Yahaya is currently working as a senior breeder at the Institute for Agricultural Research in Samaru, Nigeria, where he is leading a hybrid sorghum breeding program under the Dryland Crops Project. “This programme focuses on developing sterility systems and genetic enhancements to produce high-performing sorghum hybrids,” he says.

“The project is in collaboration with CIMMYT and is funded by the Gates Foundation. Our research team has recently secured funding to upgrade our infrastructure. We are currently setting up a rapid generation advancement facility, incorporating speed breeding tools and lysimeter systems to accelerate breeding cycles and improve phenotyping precision,” he says.

“The product advancement team for sorghum in Nigeria, comprising a multidisciplinary group of scientists, food and feed processors, farmers, and commodity associations, has played a pivotal role in guiding our decision-making during product development,” he says. “Their contributions have been instrumental in the successful adoption of recently developed sorghum cultivar, such as SAMSORG 52. These collaborative efforts are focused on strengthening our ability to deliver climate-resilient, high-yielding sorghum varieties tailored to the needs of farmers and industry stakeholders.”