A sorghum diversity panel biofuel feedstock screen for genotypes with high hydrolysis yield potential

The rate of hydrolysis among a genetically diverse panel of 381 field-grown sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) varieties was investigated. A high-throughput 96-well plate method was created to test large numbers of replicated sample biomass hydrolysis rates using Trichoderma viride cellulase. Analysis of the entire panel showed a wide range of hydrolysis rates, ranging from 0.6 μg/h/U cellulase to 2.7 μg/h/U cellulase, with an average rate of release of 1.5 μg/h/U cellulase. The detected hydrolysis rate is the hydrolysis yield potential (HYP) for each sorghum variety. Additionally, pretreatment with ammonium hydroxide increased the rate of hydrolysis by an average of 1.9 fold, yet did not correlate with non-pretreated hydrolysis yield potential. This study identifies specific sorghum varieties with high HYP and sets the stage for the genetic mapping of HYP genes.