The Sorghum breeding station in Lubbock, TX accommodates 80 acres of space for hybrid trials, breeding and selection nurseries for both grain and forage crops. Additional winter nurseries in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico provide counter-season sites for breeding and selection nurseries as well. In addition, the station utilizes 10,000 sq.ft. of greenhouse annually to advance breeding lines and hybrids efficiently through the pipeline.
Domestic hybrid testing is done almost exclusively through the Lubbock R&D group which covers geographies from the Rio Grande Valley of Texas to Nebraska and as far east as North Carolina. In total, 15-20 US testing sites are routinely used in the program for evaluating an estimated 5,000 grain and forage hybrids every year. In addition, the group expands hybrid testing in multiple geographies including Latin America, Europe, South Africa and Australia using third party contractors.
The Lubbock group is successful in creating hybrids across multiple maturities that work across multiple geographies. The team efficiently employs marker-assisted selection across the breeding pipeline to create hybrids that include multiple resistant traits for SCA, anthracnose, downy mildew, drought and heat and many other leaf diseases. In addition, hybrids also include quality traits such as BMR, waxy and tannins. The Lubbock R&D station houses ten salaried employees who bring years of experience in the sorghum breeding industry.
