190130 Holding 073

David Holding, Associate Professor in Agronomy and Horticulture, examines sorghum over a light box. The light box shows kernel vitreousness (light transmittance) which is the desirable phenotype for several reason. Opaque kernels appear dark because they do not transmit light and this is undesirable because it means the corn or sorghum grains are too soft, (and unpoppable in the case of popcorn). So we use a light box to select against the opaque phenotype during the breeding process. Holding has developed sorghum that is easier for livestock to digest and high in nutrients. January 30, 2019. Photo by Craig Chandler / University Communication.