Mark your calendar! The Sorghum Improvement Conference of North America (SICNA) is slated to be held Tuesday – Wednesday, March 26-27, 2024, at the a location soon to be determined.
The 2024 SICNA Board members are Chuck Cielencki, Laura Mayor, Bonnie Pendleton and Ramasamy Perumal.
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.
A special thanks to our generous sponsors.
Registration for SICNA 2022 is now open.
Register by Feb. 28—Early Bird Registration Rate – $550
March 1 – March 11—Registration Rate – $600
March 14—At The Event, Onsite Registration Only Rate – $650
Student Registration Fee – $175
Hyatt Regency DFW
2334 N. International Pkwy
Dallas, TX 75261
Group rate is $167
Reservation deadline is March 7
Driving directions, parking, airport transportation and other information about the hotel available here.
A note on health and safety guidelines from the venue. Information is subject to change.
2022 SICNA Conference – “Sorghum: Sustainable in a Changing World” |
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| Monday, March 28 | Sponsor | Room | ||
| 1:30 – 3:00 p.m. | CSIP Board Meeting | |||
| 3:00 p.m. | Plant Germplasm and Materials Committee | |||
| 12:00 p.m. | Student Contest Prep (students may come to room and confirm presentation is loaded) | |||
| 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. | Student Contest | |||
| 4:00 p.m. | Check-in, Registration Opens | |||
| 6:00 p.m. | Opening Reception- Announce Finalist for Student Contest | United Sorghum Checkoff Program | ||
| Tuesday, March 29 | Speaker | Sponsor | Room | |
| 8:00 a.m. | Welcome | Laura Mayor, SICNA Chair, Global Sorghum Breeding Lead, Corteva Agrisciences |
S&W Seed Company
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| 8:05 – 9:00 a.m. | Keynote: Sorghum + Sensors + Sustainability = SMARTFARM | Gopal Kakani, Professor & Interim Head, Oklahoma State University | ||
| 9:15 a.m.-11:00 a.m. | Research Session #1 – Breeding & Biotechnology – Discipline Chairs, Drs. Chad Hayes, USDA-ARS & Patrica Klein, TAMU | |||
| Session 1. Using High-throughput Phenotyping via Small Unoccupied Aerial Systems in Sorghum Breeding and Research Programs | Ace Pugh, Research Geneticist (Postdoc), USDA-ARS |
Scott Seed
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| Session 2. The incredible success of sugarcane aphid resistance, and what it says about the future of sorghum breeding | Geoff Morris, Associate Professor, Colorado State University | |||
| Session 3. Building global breeding solutions to drive crop specific performance | Geoffrey Graham, Global Plant Breeding Lead, Corteva Agriscience | |||
| Panel/questions | ||||
| Finalist Announcement for Student Oral Contest | ||||
| 11:00 – 11:15 a.m. Break | ||||
| 11:15 – 12:15 p.m. | Student Research Presentations from the Award Winning Student Competition | |||
| 12:15 p.m. – 1:45 p.m. | Lunch and Poster Viewing | |||
| 1:45 – 3:30 p.m. | Research Session #2 – Agronomy & Physiology – Discipline Chair, Dr. Yves Emendack, USDA-ARS | |||
| Session 1. Transforming grain sorghum yield potential and grain quality through trait-based ideotype breeding | Krishna Jagadish, Professor & Thornton Distinguished Chair, Texas Tech University |
Sustainable Intensification Innovation Lab
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| Session 2. Retrospective study on yield & development of an envirotyping for sorghum. | Ignacio Ciampitti, Professor, Kansas State University and Ana Carcedo, Research Scholar, Kansas State University | |||
| Session 3. Quantifying nitrous oxide emissions from grain sorghum cropping systems in Oklahoma and Kansas | Peter Tomlinson, Associate Professor, Kansas State University | |||
| Panel/questions | ||||
| 3:45- 4:45 p.m. | Business meeting – Dr. Laura Mayor, SICNA Chair | |||
| 6:00 p.m. | Reception | |||
| 6:30 p.m. | Banquet Keynote: Sorghum: Where We’ve Been; Where We’re Going Student Awards & NSP recognitions |
Keynote Speaker. Norma Ritz Johnson, Executive Director, United Sorghum Checkoff Program | Center for Sorghum Improvement | |
| Wednesday, March 30 | Speaker | Sponsor | Room | |
| 7:40 a.m. | Welcome | Laura Mayor, SICNA Chair, Global Sorghum Breeding Lead, Corteva Agrisciences | ||
| 7:45 – 9:30 a.m. | Research Session #3 – Entomology & Pathology – Discipline Chairs, Drs. Chris Little, K-State & Dalton Ludwick, TAMU | Alta Seeds | ||
| Session 1. A Systematic Response to Addressing New Invasive Pest Species: Blending Research and Outreach | David Kerns, Associate Department Head, IPM Coordinator & Professor, Texas A&M University | |||
| Session 2. Pre-harvest sprouting damage in mature grain sorghum during prolonged wet weather in South Texas | Gary Odvody, Associate Professor, Texas A&M AgriLife Research | |||
| Session 3. Optimization of UAS-based high-throughput phenotyping to estimate plant health in sorghum | William Rooney, Monsanto Borlaug Chair in Crop Improvement, Texas A&M University | |||
| Panel/questions | ||||
| 9:45 – 11:30 a.m. | Research Session #3 – Utilization & Tech Transfer – Discipline Chairs, Drs. Kaliramesh Siliveru, K-State & Josh Lofton, OSU | Innovative Seed Solutions, LLC | ||
| Session 1. Grain Sorghum Derived Proteins, Peptides, and Polyphenols: Extraction, Properties, and Applications | Yonghui Li, Associate Professor, Kansas State University | |||
| Session 2. New Herbicide Technologies in Grain Sorghum | Todd Baughman, Weed Science Program Support Leader, Oklahoma State University | |||
| Session 3. The quantification of life cycle emissions for grain-based feedstocks | Xinyu Liu, Energy Systems Analyst, Argonne National Laboratory | |||
| Panel/questions | ||||
A training on the GREET Model – Feedstock Carbon Intensity Calculator (FD-CIC) provided by Argonne National Laboratory is scheduled from noon-2:30 p.m. Interested participants should contact Sarah Sexton-Bowser sarahann@ksu.edu.
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.
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.
Click on the link below to access past SICNA proceedings.