Crops Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor)

Summary Information



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Young plant showing tillers

Sorghum is an annual grass with a well-developed root system and robust aerial parts, which are usually supported by prop roots.

Prop roots

Growth characteristics are very variable, depending upon the type; some varieties may exceed 4 m in height, while others may attain only 50 cm.

Developing plants

Most types tiller at some stage, producing straight stems which, in the case of sweet sorghums, are thick and juicy, but in others may be much thinner and have a higher proportion of pith. The leaf blades are waxy, thin, and pointed, with the leaf-sheaths completely encircling the stem.

Emerging seedhead

Seeds

The terminal heads may be compact or spreading, the size of individual seeds being largest in those grown for grain and smallest in the forage types. Detailed cultural methods for sugar sorghums in Europe have yet to be established. It is thought that a density of about 14 plants per square metre is likely to be the most suitable, giving a final stand of about 50 stems per square metre; ground preparation, levels of fertiliser application, and herbicide use, are expected to be broadly similar to those for maize culture. Sorghums are subject to attack by a number of fungal diseases and insect pests in the areas in which they are commonly grown, but it is not yet known how many of these may become problems in Europe. Sorghum is drought-tolerant in that development ceases during periods of water shortage, but if high production levels are to be attained, water supply should not be limiting during the growing season. Experimental crops have produced yields of up to 30 t per ha of dry material, giving sugar yields approaching 10t per ha. Before the crop can be widely recommended for growth in Europe, further studies will be required on methods of attainment of reliable yields, as will improvements in earliness of maturity, cold tolerance, and yield levels comparable to those which have already been achieved for maize. The possibility of breeding dual-purpose grain-sugar types exists, but as yet there is no suitable method of harvesting both crop portions separately by mechanical means: development work in this area would be advantageous to the wider use of sorghums for all purposes within Europe.