sorgo

Sorgo, commonly called sorghum in English, is a group of grasses in the genus Sorghum. The principal cultivated species is Sorghum bicolor, with various subspecies and hybrids used for grain, forage, sugar syrup, or broomcorn. Sorghum is a warm-season, drought-tolerant cereal plant with C4 photosynthesis, typically grown as an annual. Plants range from 1 to 4 meters tall, with a panicle or spike-like inflorescence that bears grains.

Uses: Grain sorghum is grown for human consumption in Africa, Asia, and the Americas; the grain is milled into flour or used whole in porridges, flatbreads, or breakfast cereals and is naturally gluten-free. Sweet sorghum is cultivated for its stalk juice, which is boiled to make syrup or molasses. Forage sorghum and sorghum–sudangrass hybrids are used for silage and pasture. Broomcorn varieties are used for traditional brooms. Sorghum is also used on a smaller scale for biofuels and animal feeds.

Cultivation and production: Sorghum tolerates heat, drought, and poor soils better than many cereals. It requires a warm growing season, full sun, and typically moderate irrigation in many regions. It is grown widely in semiarid tropics and subtropics, with major producers including the United States, Nigeria, India, Mexico, and Sudan.

History: Domesticated in Africa, possibly in the Sahel, around 3000–3500 BCE, sorghum spread to the Middle East and Asia before being introduced to the Americas in the colonial era.

Nutrition and safety: Grain sorghum is a source of carbohydrates and protein and is gluten-free; varieties vary in mineral and fiber content. Some forage sorghums may accumulate cyanogenic compounds under stress; proper management reduces risk.