Vegetative oil yield and agronomic performance of vegetative oil sorghum across environmental gradients

Oil sorghum (OS) lines were genetically engineered for vegetative oil accumulation, have demonstrated the ability to accumulate energy-dense triacylglycerols (TAG) in vegetative tissues, attracting attention as a promising potential feedstock for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). However, agronomic feasibility and performance need to be investigated for potential variation across different environments. This study evaluated three OS lines with grain sorghum background (TX430: TxHO-1, TxHO-2, and TxHO-3) and two OS lines with sweet sorghum background (Ramada: RmHO-1 and RmHO-2) in field experiments conducted in Nebraska (NE) and Illinois (IL) over 2 years (2023-2024). In TX430, biomass yield was influenced by genotype–environment interaction, while Ramada was affected solely by the environment. The average dry biomass yield in OS lines was 9.8 Mg ha−1 for TX430 and 18.4 Mg ha−1 for Ramada, similar to wild-type (9.9 and 20.2 Mg ha−1, respectively). Compared to wild-type, TAG concentrations in TX430 OS lines increased on average by 18.2-fold in leaves and 16.1-fold in stems. In Ramada, the average increases were 25.4-fold in leaves and 12.8-fold in stems. TAG yield increased by 8.9- to 28.4-fold in TX430 OS lines and 11.7- to 16.9-fold in Ramada OS lines. Moreover, TxHO-2 performed best in TX430 OS lines, with an average TAG yield of 189.9 kg ha-1. RmHO-1 had the highest TAG yield in Ramada, averaging 334.6 kg ha-1. The environment was the primary factor influencing plant tissue nutrients. Compared to wild-type lines, TX430 and Ramada OS lines did not exhibit excessive nutrient depletion. Under the same environments, the structural carbohydrate composition and ash content of OS lines remained consistent compared to wild-type lines in TX430 and Ramada, respectively. Overall, this field study demonstrated that TAG gene transformation has no negative impact on agronomic traits and performance of TX430 and Ramada sorghum and suggested that transforming high-biomass sorghum with improved TAG accumulation shows potential for large-scale production of both lignocellulosic biomass and plant oil for use in sustainable aviation fuel.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.S.

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Crop Sciences

Grantor

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2025

Author dc:creator

• Chen, Yunzhu

Contributors dc:contributor

• Lee, DoKyoung
• Yang, Wendy
• Villamil, Maria Bonita

• Sustainable Aviation Fuel (saf)
• Vegetative Oil
• Triacylglycerol (tag)
• Transformation
• Sorghum
• Biomass Feedstock
• Feedstock Quality
• Leaf Gas Exchange

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2025 Yunzhu Chen

Language dc:language

en, eng

Handle dc:identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/129778

OAI record oai:identifier

https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=etdms&identifier=oai%3Awww.ideals.illinois.edu%3A2142%2F129778