Field Crop 2025, Vol.8, No.1, 1-10 http://cropscipublisher.com/index.php/fc 8 technical support the most, but often invest the least in research and development. Environmental issues must also be considered, so as not to exhaust the soil fertility in order to increase production. In my opinion, breeding requires both "hard and soft"-the technology must be strong, and supporting policies and services must also keep up. 8 Concluding Remarks In recent years, sorghum hybrid breeding has indeed made a lot of progress. In West Africa, the hybrids bred with Guinea germplasm are particularly impressive. Regardless of whether the soil is fertile or not, the yield is much higher than that of local varieties. However, the most surprising thing is that these new varieties not only produce more grain, but also have higher iron and zinc content in the grains. When it comes to drought resistance, it is even more amazing. Some new varieties can still maintain their yields in drought and are not even susceptible to mildew. Of course, breeding experts are not idle either. They invite wild species and local species to "help" and add a lot of new genes to cultivated varieties. Although the process is quite tiring, this effort is still necessary for long-term genetic gain. In my opinion, this breeding direction of increasing production and nutrition is the real timely rain to quench thirst. In the research of sorghum hybrid breeding, we need to focus on several things. First of all, we need to continue to explore the genes that control yield and nutrition. However, knowing the genes is not enough. The key is how to match the parents most appropriately-this requires a lot of compatibility tests. Now QTL positioning and other molecular technologies are quite useful, and transgenic methods should not be left behind. After all, the demand for sorghum in different regions varies greatly (some people want feed, some want food). With such severe climate change, research on drought and heat resistance traits is even more urgent. But the most easily overlooked thing is that farmers should be more involved in the breeding process. Their experience in the fields is much more real than the data in the laboratory. In the final analysis, whether a new variety is good or not depends on whether farmers are willing to plant it. When it comes to improving sorghum, hybrid breeding is indeed effective. Look at those high-yield and nutritious hybrid varieties, which have now become the backbone of many regions-especially those where sorghum is a staple food. But the most surprising thing is that these hybrids are not only high-yielding, but also very resistant to drought. Of course, now that climate change is getting more and more serious, breeders have to work harder. In my opinion, combining new technology with old experience and letting breeding teams in various places communicate more will make this thing work. After all, what farmers want is varieties that can survive when planted and are enough to eat when harvested. Although the process is not easy, seeing the golden sorghum in the field is worth it. Acknowledgments Author would like to express our appreciation to the editor and reviewers for their time and efforts to improve the quality of our manuscript. Conflict of Interest Disclosure The author affirms that this research was conducted without any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. References Adebo O., 2020, African sorghum-based fermented foods: past, current and future prospects, Nutrients, 12(4): 1111. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12041111 Assefa Y., and Staggenborg S., 2010, Grain sorghum yield with hybrid advancement and changes in agronomic practices from 1957 through 2008, Agronomy Journal, 102(2): 703-706. https://doi.org/10.2134/AGRONJ2009.0314 Baloch F., Altaf M., Liaqat W., Bedir M., Nadeem M., Cömertpay G., Çoban N., Habyarimana E., Barutçular C., Cerit İ., Ludidi N., Karaköy T., Aasim M., Chung Y., Nawaz M., Hatipoğlu R., Kökten K., and Sun H., 2023, Recent advancements in the breeding of sorghum crop: current status and future strategies for marker-assisted breeding, Frontiers in Genetics, 14: 1150616. https://doi.org/10.3389/fgene.2023.1150616
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