These results showed that TSH1 has a higher ethanol tolerance compared with BY4743. Furthermore, we found that TSH1 showed a marked tolerance to acetate. The growth of TSH1 was almost unaffected as the acetate concentration increased from 2 g/L to 4 g/L, whereas significant inhibitory effects on the maximum cell concentration and time required to reach the stationary phase were detected for BY4743. Consistently, an AGR analysis showed that the maximum AGR values for TSH1 were significantly higher than those for BY4743 and were less influenced by the presence of acetate. Collectively, these results demonstrated that TSH1 had a strong tolerance to product inhibition, and potential adapt well to the poor mass transfer conditions of solid-state fermentation. As acidic bacteriostatic agents widely used for storage of sweet sorghum that can cause lower pH of sweet sorghum stalks during long-term storage, we further investigated TSH1’s tolerance to acidic pH. In an acidic pH tolerance assay, we found that the TSH1 growth curve was not significantly altered when the pH value of the medium was decreased from 5.0 to 3.0. In contrast, BY4743 exhibited a significant decrease in the stationary phase cell concentration and an extension of the time required to reach stationary phase. AGR analysis further demonstrated that TSH1 grew faster than BY4743 at each pH level; the growth of TSH1 exceeded that of BY4743 by 33.3% when the pH was reduced to 3.0. The excellent acidic pH tolerance of TSH1 should allow the direct fermentation of sweet sorghum stored under acidic conditions, possibly eliminating the need for pretreatment steps. Bioethanol based on non-food crops, particularly sweet sorghum, is currently attracting global attention. Compared to liquid-state fermentation utilizing sweet sorghum juice obtained by pressing or other types of fermentation, solid-state fermentation has certain advantages, including increased sugar utilization, lower capital cost, and reduced wastewater output. However, breakthrough progress in the implementation of sweet sorghum solid-state fermentation for industrial-scale ethanol production has not been achieved for some time because of two major technology bottlenecks: suitable fermentation strains and efficient fermenter design. To find a suitable fermentation strain, we screened and identified the S. cerevisiae strain TSH1 from soil in which sweet sorghum stalks were stored. Growth characteristic analysis showed that TSH1 had excellent growth adaptability, demonstrating tolerance to product inhibition, acidic pH, and a wide range of temperatures. TSH1 also was a strong performer in fermentation at high temperatures and low moisture contents. Different from many industrial S. cerevisiae strains that are not genetically FTY720 modified, when cultured at 40uC, TSH1 retains its rapid growth and good production.