Fw: Deines

[Mark Mayfield]

Mark H. Mayfield
Division of Biology
1717 Claflin Rd. 
Manhattan, Kansas 66506-4900
785-532-2795 (voice)

Office: 304 Bushnell Hall

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From: Jessica Baetz Caylor <jessica.b...@bayer.com>
Sent: Monday, September 29, 2025 14:09
To: Mark Mayfield <mark...@ksu.edu>
Cc: Jessica Baetz Caylor <jessica.b...@bayer.com>
Subject: FW: Deines

 

This email originated from outside of K-State.

Mark,

 

These are from a field near Wakeeney, KS.

 

We suspect a Johnsongrass outcross but would like confirmation.

 

I do have samples I can bring tomorrow.

 

From: Jessica Baetz Caylor <jessica.b...@bayer.com>
Sent: Monday, September 29, 2025 2:06 PM
To: Jessica Baetz Caylor <jessica.b...@bayer.com>
Subject: Deines

 

 

 

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[Mark Mayfield]

Johnsongrass (Sorghum halepense)

[Mark Mayfield]

I don't know what a "johnsongrass outcross" is?

Does she mean Sorghum halepense crossed with grain sorghum (an F1, certainly it isn't that)? Or did she mean a "backcross" maybe with shattercane? I think the farmer was thinking that the seed was contaminated with the johnsongrass and or shattercane.

[Mark Mayfield]

Hi Jessica,

I want to provide you here with my identification of these samples by email.  

I would identify all of the images in this email as Johnsongrass (=Sorghum halepense). I am not sure what you mean by an "outcross" so I can't say whether my identification is in agreement with that or not. It's very possible that some of this may represent Sorghum halepense x S. bicolor hybrids (i.e., Sorghum almum) with varying amounts of introgression between the johnsongrass and whatever kind of Sorghum happens to be in the area by planting or in the naturalized landscape that surrounds mostly agricultural land. 

The images in the other email are shattercane (Sorghum bicolor ssp. X_drummondii). 

Best,

Mark