What is sugar sorghum, how is it grown and where is it used

Sorghum is a perennial or annual cereal plant that looks like corn and belongs to spring crops. From an economic point of view, it is divided into 4 types: grain, sugar, broom, herbaceous. Sugar sorghum is a versatile crop from which food, biofuel and animal feed are made.

What this culture is, how it is used in folk medicine, in everyday life and in cooking, read the article.

What is Sugar Sorghum

Sugar sorghum - a heat-resistant plant, the stem of which contains up to 20% sugar. It is the only sorghum in nature that synthesizes sucrose in large quantities. For comparison, a sugarcane stalk contains 18-21% sugar.

Botanical description

The bush of sugar sorghum reaches a length of 3.5 m. The stems are thick and make up 60% of the mass of the whole plant. The culture is drought-resistant and unpretentious: it grows in places with low rainfall (300 mm per year), in soils with low fertility and high hydrogen content. Productivity - 20-30 tons per hectare.

Soil types where sugar sorghum produces crops:

• loamy;
• sandy;
• clayey;
• mixed.

The grains of the plant are covered with a film, slightly open. After the beginning of flowering, sugar begins to accumulate in the plant and reaches its maximum during the period of full maturation.

Anatomical structure of root and plant

The roots of the sugar variety are fibrous with a thick outer layer of the epidermis. The root system of the plant is highly branched in order to extract moisture from the soil during the dry season.

One plant has from 1 to 5 stems, each of which forms 5–25 leaves, covered with a waxy bloom. Their number depends on the length of the growing season.

Reference! Sorghum seeds are durable. With a moisture content of 13-14%, they remain viable for up to 11 years.

Inflorescences have the shape of a fluffed panicle. The grains are covered with a strong film like rice. It is preserved after harvest.

Geography of distribution

Sugar sorghum appeared in North-East Africa about 5 thousand years ago. Distributed in the tropics, subtropics, temperate zone up to 48 ° latitude.

The largest areas of crops:

• India - 9.5 million hectares;
• Nigeria - 7.1 million hectares;
• Sudan - 4.8 million hectares;
• USA - 3 million hectares.

general characteristics

In the southern and arid regions of the planet, growing beets is either unprofitable or impossible. In these regions, it is replaced by sugar sorghum. The cereal crop does not require specific equipment: agricultural machines used in growing corn are suitable for harvesting, cultivation and sowing.

The culture is thermophilic: the minimum temperature for seed germination is + 8… + 9 ° C, the optimum temperature is + 20… + 25 ° C. At -2 ... -3 ° C and below, sorghum dies.

Composition and properties

Vitamin composition of 100 g of sorghum:

• B1 - 0.46 mg;
• B2 - 0.16 mg;
• B4 - 93 mg;
• B5 - 1 mg;
• B6 - 0.4 mg.

Macronutrients:

• potassium - 246 mg;
• calcium - 99 mg;
• silicon - 48 mg;
• phosphorus - 298 mg;
• magnesium - 127 mg.

Trace elements:

• aluminum - 1548 mcg;
• boron - 344 mcg;
• iron - 4.41 mg;
• cobalt - 2 μg;
• copper - 390 mcg.

B vitamins stimulate brain and nervous activity. Phosphorus strengthens bone and muscle tissue, heart and kidneys, and participates in energy metabolism.Iron provides oxygen to the cells.

Important! Cereal culture is not recommended for use in violation of intestinal microflora and flatulence.

The nutritional value

100 g of product contains:

• proteins - 10.6 g;
• fats - 4.12 g;
• carbohydrates - 59.6 g;
• kcal - 323.

Benefits for the body

Grain is useful for rheumatism, for the prevention of diseases of the cardiovascular system.

Medicinal characteristics of sugar sorghum:

• stimulation of appetite;
• improving metabolism and brain activity;
• acceleration of protein synthesis;
• stabilization of blood sugar levels;
• stimulation of the production of hemoglobin;
• removing excess salt from the body.

Role in crop rotation

Sugar sorghum is used in bioenergy, feed production, food processing and agriculture. The culture removes heavy metals, harmful salts and toxic elements from the fertile soil, thereby exerting a phytomeliorative effect on the soil.

Reference! Sugar production from sorghum is 50% cheaper than from beets.

Using

Cereal crops are used in many sectors of the world economy: from bioenergy to cooking.

In losing weight

Cereals and honey are made from cereals, which stimulate the natural metabolism in the body due to the B vitamins.

Vitamin PP and biotin contained in cereals break down fats and stimulate the production of amino acids. Therefore, meals made from sugar sorghum do not lead to the accumulation of body fat.

In bioenergy

In bioenergy, culture is used to produce biofuel in the form of solid briquettes, biogas and bioethanol.

The latter is valuable: bioethanol is a renewable energy source that is less harmful to the environment when used in internal combustion engines.

On the farm

They make from the stems of any sort of sorghum brooms, straw and paper. Furniture and baskets are woven from straw. For animal husbandry, the plant is useful in that its green parts are used for fodder or hay. With the correct harvesting technology, 1 ha of crop yields up to 5 tons of organic matter, which nourishes the soil with useful elements.

In cooking

From the culture, molasses is extracted, which is used in the preservation of food and the manufacture of alcoholic beverages, flour is made.

Sugar sorghum is used to prepare:

• jam and jam;
• syrup;
• alcohol.

Growing

Cereal culture is unpretentious in care. A bountiful harvest of sorghum requires optimal temperature, watering and fertilization. Ideal for cultivation sorghum site should be well warmed up and illuminated by the sun.

Preparation of soil and planting material

Plant seeds are poured with water for half an hour. Pop-up instances are removed. After soaking, the planting material is thoroughly dried: it is laid out on parchment or fabric in one layer and placed in a dry, ventilated place.

Almost any soil is suitable for seeds. Before sowing, the soil is loosened and watered moderately. Urea and humus are used as fertilizers.

Sowing technology

When the outside temperature is above + 8 ° C, seeds are planted in the soil. This usually happens in early May. The culture is planted in rows to a depth of about 5 cm.The distance between the plants is 10 cm.

Further care

After 2 weeks, the first shoots appear. At this stage, weak plants are separated from healthy and strong plants. During the growing season, regular weeding is carried out and the soil is loosened.

As a top dressing, 5–7 g of nitrogen, 15 g of phosphorus and potassium per 1 m2 are introduced.

Advice! Double hilling in the second half of summer increases yields.

Watering is carried out once every 1-2 weeks.

Disease and pest control

Sorghum is considered to be resistant to pests plant, but some insects are able to destroy the plantings:

1. Cereal aphid. To combat it, the plants are sprayed with Metaphos. The first treatment is carried out when aphids appear, the second - after 10-12 days. The biological method of control is the aphid ladybird, which is released for crops.The insect gradually destroys aphids without touching the sorghum.
2. Scoops. Trichogramma is used as a biological weapon. She lays her eggs in the eggs of pests, thereby terminating their life cycle and mass distribution. From chemical sprayers used drugs "Metaphos" and "Chlorophos".
3. Wireworms. These pests feed on sprouted seeds, which reduces the quality and quantity of the crop. To combat wireworms, ammonia water is used, which is introduced into the soil, and Fentiuram.

Leaf diseases and grain fusarium cause serious damage to the crop. Fusarium grain contains mycotoxins and is not suitable for use. To reduce infection, seeds of TMTD are treated 6 months before sowing (2 kg per 1 ton).

With leaf spotting, seeds are cleaned and sorted from diseased and phosphorus-potassium fertilizers are applied.

Collection, storage and processing of crops

On an industrial scale, sorghum is harvested using combines, specialized sorghum harvesters, or manually. The culture is harvested by mowing before the panicles are fully formed. Otherwise, the greens become stale.

Harvesting occurs at the end of July or beginning of August, when the grains enter the waxy phase. Greens are used for agricultural feed and silage.

Important! At the beginning of the harvest, the unripe seeds are moist, so they are placed in a dryer.

Plants are either dried on brooms or processed into products. The prepared raw materials are stored in a dry ventilated room for 2 years, sorghum flour for a year.

Conclusion

Sugar sorghum is becoming more and more popular every year due to its drought resistance, high yield and low cost of production. The plant is unpretentious, but in terms of sucrose production it overtakes corn and sugar beet. The most widespread use of the cereal crop is in agriculture: it is used to make feed, hay and silage.