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Sweet sorghum is one of the many types of cultivated sorghums and is a promising multipurpose biofuel feedstock. The objective of this study was to assess phenotypic and genotypic diversity among 75 selected diverse sweet sorghum genotypes available at ICRISAT-Patancheru. Genotyping-by-sequencing generated 135,162 SNPs having minor allele frequencies > 0.20. Cluster analysis grouped the genotypes into three distinct clusters, with some of the sweet sorghum lines falling in distinct clusters. This grouping pattern was in conformity with available race and pedigree information. Mean performance and analysis of variance for sugar yield-related traits shows considerable variability. The results also revealed close genetic relationships between elite genotypes such as ICSV 25316, ICSV 25311, SSV 74 and ICSV 25300 that are superior for various sugar yield-associated traits like plant height, biomass, juice yield and sugar content. Not surprisingly given their pedigrees, these elite materials grouped together tightly in a single sub-cluster. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sweet sorghum is a multipurpose biofuel feedstock that offers grain for human consumption, fodder for livestock and ethanol for transportation purposes. The knowledge on sugar components at different phenological stages of crop growth and identification of appropriate stage of harvesting is critical for sweet sorghum commercialization and value chain sustenance. In this regard, sweet sorghum stalk yield, juice yield, Brix%, pH, sugars (sucrose, fructose and glucose) and their content were analyzed at three different phenological stages i.e. the dough stage, physiological maturity and post-physiological maturity. Variations in sugar content at different growth stages revealed that the sugar yield was high at physiological maturity, but highest at post-physiological maturity. Sucrose accounts for major fermentable sugar (about 70%) and it sharply increased by 146% from dough stage to post-physiological maturity. The variation in the monosaccharides content (glucose and fructose) is not statistically significant. This study points to the potential scope for widening the harvesting window of sweet sorghum, by cutting the stalks from physiological maturity stage and beyond up to 15 days (post-physiological maturity), thus helping the commercial distilleries by addressing a major impediment in sweet sorghum value chain. The entries SP 4495, SP 4511-3 and SPV 422 are suitable for harvesting in a wider window of time as the sugar levels are sustained at same level from physiological maturity to post-physiological maturity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]