Flavan-4-ols concentration in mold-susceptible and mold-resistant sorghum at different stages of grain development

Sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] accessions exhibiting contrasting reactions to the grain mold complex were grown in two consecutive rainy seasons at the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, Patancheru, India. Methanol and acidified methanol extracts of grains harvested at different grain development stages were analyzed for flavan-4-ols. The concentrations of flavan-4-ols in mold-resistant grains were at least 2-fold higher than in mold-susceptible grains in both extracts at or after 30 days of flowering. Concentration of flavan-4-ols in mature, grain sorghums could, therefore, be an indicator of their potential resistance or susceptibility to grain mold, and this method could be an important tool in screening sorghum cultivars for such characteristic