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The Adaptable Crop for Diverse Climates, Landscapes and Markets

SICNA

The Sorghum Improvement Conference of North America’s mission is to promote communication and collaboration in research and development among sorghum researchers and stakeholders in cooperation with universities, research centers, public institutions and private entities. It strives to link scientists and researchers with sorghum producers and industry representatives to help drive innovation and discovery in response to the industry’s challenges and opportunities.

The 2024 SICNA board members are Laura Mayor, Ramasamy Perumal, Shelley Meiwes and David Kerns.

About SICNA

Registration

Agenda

Abstract Submissions
SICNA Support

2024 Sponsors

A special thanks to our generous 2024 sponsors. If you are interested in sponsorship for future SICNA events, please contact sarahann@ksu.edu.

Future Horizon

United Sorghum Checkoff Program

Ally

S&W Seed Co.

Climate Resilient Cereals Innovation Lab

Partner

Center for Sorghum Improvement

Alta Seeds

Richardson Seeds

Innovative Seed Solutions

Corteva AgriScience

Friend

Maverick Malt House

MOJO Seed

Stay Up To Date

Please use the link below to sign up to receive updates on future Sorghum Improvement Conference of North America events!

Sign Up Here

Registration & Hotel Information

Registration:

Check back in 2026 for future events.

2024 Agenda

Tues., April 2

Sponsor

Room
1:00 - 4:00 p.m.Student Oral Competition
Student Competition and Poster Chairs, Drs. Gloria Burrow, USDA ARS & Bonnie Pendleton, WTAMU		Corteva AgriSciencePlaza Ballroom
2:00 - 5:30 p.m. Poster Set UpClimate Resilient Cereals Innovation LabPlaza Ballroom
2:30 - 3:00 p.m.USDA ARS Interdisciplinary Sorghum Meeting
Dr. Oswald Crasta, USDA ARS		Green Country
3:45 - 4:45 p.m.SorghumBase Workshop
Drs. Nick Gladman & Doreen Ware, USDA ARS		Green Country
4:30 p.m.On-Site Registration Opens
5:00 - 6:00 p.m.Crop Germplasm Committees (CGC) Sorghum
Dr. Hugo E. Cuevas, USDA ARS		Green Country
6:00 - 7:00 p.m.Opening ReceptionRichardson SeedsOne Broadway Ballroom

Wed., April 3

Sponsor

Room
7:00 a.m.Poster Set UpClimate Resilient Cereals Innovation LabPlaza Ballroom
7:45 a.m.Welcome
Dr. Laura Mayor, SICNA Chair, Global Sorghum Breeding Lead, Corteva Agrisciences		Plaza Ballroom
8:00 - 8:45 a.m.Keynote Address
Jessica Christiansen, Head of Crop Science Communications, Bayer CropScience		Innovative Seed Solutions, LLCPlaza Ballroom
8:45 - 9:30 a.m.Student Research Minute, Oral Student Finalist Announcement & Poster Session Break
Student Competition and Poster Chairs, Drs. Gloria Burow, USDA ARS & Bonnie Pendleton, WTAMU		United Sorghum Checkoff ProgramPlaza Ballroom
9:30 - 11:20 a.m.Research Session #1 - Breeding & Biotechnology
Discipline Chairs, Drs. Terry Felderhoff, K-State & Nicholas Gladman, USDA ARS		Alta SeedsPlaza Ballroom
Session 1 - The dynamic transcriptomic and metabolomic profiling of sorghum seed
Dr. Yinping Jiao, Assistant Professor, Texas Tech University
Session 2 - Enhancing productivity of grain sorghum by developing hybrids using public and private sector germplasm
Noah Winans, Graduate Student, Texas A&M University
Session 3 - A Large Sequenced Mutant Library as a Community Resource for Sorghum Breeding and Genomics
Dr. Zhanguo Xin, Research Molecular Biologist, USDA ARS
Panel/questions
11:20 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.Climate Smart Sorghum
Matt Durler, Managing Director, Climate Smart Sorghum & John Duff, Founder, Serō Ag Strategies with Moderator Dr. Brent Bean, Agronomy Director, USCP		Plaza Ballroom
12:00 - 1:15 p.m.LunchOne Broadway Ballroom
12:00 - 1:15 p.m.Poster Session Judging & ViewingClimate Resilient Cereals Innovation LabPlaza Ballroom
1:15 - 2:00 p.m.Student Research Presentations from the Award Winning Student Competition
Student Competition and Poster Chairs, Drs. Gloria Burow, USDA ARS & Bonnie Pendleton, WTAMU		Corteva AgriSciencePlaza Ballroom
2:00 - 3:50 p.m.Research Session #2 - Agronomy & Physiology
Discipline Chair, Dr. Krishna Jagadish, Texas Tech University		Center for Sorghum ImprovementPlaza Ballroom
Session 1 - Exploring Root Traits in Sorghum: A Pathway to Enhanced Carbon Sequestration and Climate Resilience
Dr. Nadia Shakoor, Principal Investigator, Donald Danforth Plant Science Center
Session 2 - Source: Sink balance in Different Sorghum Hybrids.
Lucia Marziotte, Graduate Student, Kansas State University
Session 3 - Sorghum: A Smart Choice for Reducing the Nitrous Oxide Footprint of Agriculture
Dr. Nithya Rajan, Professor, Texas A&M AgriLife Research
Panel/questions
3:50 - 4:15 p.m.Break & Poster Session
Student Competition and Poster Chairs, Drs. Gloria Burrow, USDA ARS & Bonnie Pendleton, WTAMU		Climate Resilient Cereals Innovation LabPlaza Ballroom
4:15 - 5:00 p.m.Scientific Capacities and Partnerships
Dr. Oswald Crasta, USDA ARS & Dr. Jagger Harvey, CRCIL		Plaza Ballroom
5:00 - 5:30 p.m.Business Session
Dr. Laura Mayor, SICNA Chair		Maverick Malt HousePlaza Ballroom
6:30 p.m.Banquet featuring:
Farmer Perspectives on Sorghum Improvement
Student Awards
NSP Distinguished Service Award		S&W Seed Co.One Broadway Ballroom

Thur., April 4

Sponsor

Room
7:45 a.m.Invitation to the Global Sorghum ConferencePlaza Ballroom
8:00 - 9:45 a.m.Research Session #3 - Entomology & Pathology
Discipline Chairs, Tyler Mays, TAMU & Dr. Deanna Funnel-Harris, USDA ARS		Plaza Ballroom
Session 1 - Pathogen Resistant Sorghums – Leveraging Genomics and Molecular Genetics for Gene Discovery and Integrated Improvement
Dr. Tesfaye Mengiste, Professor, Purdue University
Session 2 Pyrethroid resistance detected in Texas rice stink bug (Oebalus pugnax) populations and alternative insecticides for their management.
Dr. David Kerns, Professor, Extension Entomologist, Texas A&M University
Session 3 - The Chinch Bug Chronicles—Probing the Past to Manage the Future
Dr. Brian McCornack, Professor and Department Head, Kansas State University
Panel/questions
9:45 - 10:00 a.m.Break
10:00 - 11:45 a.m.Research Session #4 - Utilization & Tech Transfer
Discipline Chair, Dr. Yi Zheng, Kansas State University		MOJO SeedPlaza Ballroom
Session 1 Altering lignin synthesis for bio-based products
Dr. Scott Sattler, Research Leader, USDA ARS Lincoln, Nebraska
Session 2 The changing dynamics of forages in water limited environments
Dr. Alondra Cruz, Graduate Student, Texas Tech University
Session 3 Slow digestion of sorghum foods and potential health benefits
Dr. Bruce Hamaker, Distinguished Professor, Purdue University
Panel/questions
11:45 a.m.Concluding CommentsPlaza Ballroom

When You Register: SorghumBase Workshop (optional)

In 2024, a 1-hour workshop on SorghumBase took place at the SICNA conference.

SorghumBase, a USDA-ARS funded resource, is dedicated to supporting the sorghum research community by providing curated genomic and genetic data sets, research updates, and more.

This workshop was open to all, from beginners to experienced users, and offered valuable training on the SorghumBase content management system to submit news items, research highlights and update funding information; biocuration of gene structure and function; and submission of gene expression and genetic population data. An update on new developments and plans for 2024 was also provided.

It’s a must-attend event for anyone in the sorghum research and breeding community.

Submissions

Registered attendees are invited to submit entries for a general research poster and registered student attendees are invited to submit entries to one of the student competitions, oral or poster.

Questions for the student competitions may be directed to Dr. Bonnie Pendleton at graminum@yahoo.com. Students are encouraged to email Dr. Pendleton with a notice of interest to compete. 

Questions for the general attendee research poster may be directed to Dr. Gloria Burow at gloria.burow@usda.gov. Attendees are encouraged to email Dr. Burow with a notice of interest to submit. 

Guidelines for Oral and Poster Presentations

  • The deadlines to submit abstracts for both the oral and poster presentations have passed, and we are no longer accepting submissions.
  • Students may enter either an oral presentation or a poster, but not both.

Student Oral Presentation:

  1. The session will be open to the public.
  2. Time allotted for each presentation: 10 minutes.
  3. Questions and answers: 2 minutes extra; approximately 3 or 4 questions; 2 from judges and 1 or 2 from audience.
  4. Participants are responsible for uploading their presentation.
  5. All oral presentations must be in PowerPoint format.
  6. The speaker must also bring on a USB-drive the presentation saved as a PowerPoint or as a PDF.
  7. To determine the top three ranking participants, the committee will tally (add all scoring categories) scores; students with the highest three scores plus judges’ consultation/approval will advance to the Final Round; scores during the preliminary round will not count for the Final Round.  The decision of the judges will be final in both the preliminary and final rounds.

Student and General Research Poster Presentation:

  1. The session will be open to the public.
  2. The maximum allowable poster size is 40 inches wide by 48 inches tall.
  3. The recommended minimum font size is 22 pt.
  4. Posters in the competition must be hung in advance of the conference.
  5. The author-presenter is requested to remain beside the poster during the breaks.
  6. The author-presenter is responsible for removing their poster following the event.

Student Oral and Poster Presentations will be evaluated and judged using the following criteria:

Criteria Points Details
Abstract 10 Format, grammar, and content

Abstracts shall not exceed 300 words.
Introduction and Rationale 15 Clearly stated, background with pertinent literature cited
Objectives/Hypothesis 5 Clearly stated and concise
Materials and Methods 15 Study design easily understood and concise
Results and Discussion 20 Analysis, interpretation, conclusion, future direction, and implications
Content and Mechanics 10 Grammar, style, and quantity of information
Appearance 15 Easily read, uncluttered, well-designed tables and figures, clear and relevant photos, and balanced layout
Oration 10 Voice, confidence, enthusiasm, and response to questions

Abstract shall not exceed 300 words.

The deadlines to submit abstracts for both the oral and poster presentations have passed, and we are no longer accepting submissions.

Past Proceedings

Click on the link below to access past SICNA proceedings.

Past Proceedings
Questions and Submissions

SICNA Event Organizer

For questions, please contact Sarah Sexton-Bowser at sarahann@ksu.edu.