Sorghum, also Mohrenhirse, Kaffernkorn, Sorgho (red millet), Sudan grass, Durra, Milo or Jowar mentioned, is the most important bread grain in Africa. Also in south Europe, central America and south Asia it is cultivated. Primarily for production of flour and as fodder for cattle is cultivated and is the grain, which exhibits the fifth-largest cultivated area world-wide. It originally originates from East Africa and is adapted to hot and dry climate.

Appearance

Sorghum resembles corn in the structure of plant. It becomes high up to 5 m and has with Marks filled stems, which can form side impulses at the knots. The Rispen are 10 to 60 cm long and carry small branches with two spikelets each, the upper form a zwittrige, lower two male blooms. The unbespelzten grains are 4 to 5 mm thickly, approximately and are from white, yellowish to red colour.

Yields

The yields are appropriate usually around 10 dt/ha, in the USA by hybrid breeding against it for 42 dt/ha, with ideal irrigation and fertilization up to 100 dt/ha are reached. Therefore the main producer of Sorghum is also the USA with 63.5 million tons (1998), although the cultivated areas are more expand in Africa and Asia by some.

Use

Sorghum is suitable hardly for baking, but however for mash, or Fladen. Also to the beer production (e.g. Dolo in west Africa) it is used. Sorghum can be siliert or dried similarly corn well as whole plant as fodder be used, must however for the lowering of the Durrin content.

History

The genetic origin center lies in today's Ethiopia. Sorghum was domestiziert in the Africa. Starting from approx. 2000 v. Chr. Sorghum lets itself be proven also in central India, together with other African cultivated plants such as lab lab (lab lab purpureus) and the eye bean (Vigna unguilatica). In Egypt it became only in the earlyIslamic time an important useful plant.

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