Sweet Sorghum

About Sweet sorghum:

• It is the most important millet crop occupying the largest area among the cereals next to rice.
• One of the key characteristics of sweet sorghum varieties is their drought resistance. It allows them to enter a dormant state during extended periods of dryness and resume growth afterwards.
• Required climatic conditions and
  • The crop does not prefer high rainfall as high soil moisture or continuous heavy rain after flowering may hamper sugar increase.
  • All soils that have medium depth with good drainage are suited.
  • Depending on the soil (red, black, laterite and loamy) and its depth water requirement may vary which in turn decide the suitability of the crop.
• Unique features of Sorghum
  • It has ability to withstand low water and nitrogen inputs, as well as its tolerance for salinity and drought stress, makes it an ideal crop for farmers in arid regions.
  • Research has shown that, under intense water scarcity conditions, sweet sorghum makes use of its stalk juice to supplement its plant needs.
• It is used in the food industry and its stalk is used for the production of value-added products like ethanol, syrup and jaggery and bioenriched bagasse as a fodder and as a base material for cogeneration.
• It can produce grains, animal feed and sugary juice, making it unique among crops.
• The grains from sweet sorghum are prepared as steamed bread or porridge malt for traditional beer, as well as in commercial beer production across the continent.

Q1: What is Ethanol?

Ethanol is an agricultural by-product which is mainly obtained from the processing of sugar from sugarcane, but also from other sources such as rice husk or maize.

Source: Sweet sorghum is a hardy, nutritious, biofuel crop that offers solutions in drought-hit southern Africa

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