Sorghum - sowing, care, several varieties

09.04.2021







Sorgo

General Information


Sorghum is a single or perennial plant of the cereal family, comprising more than 30 species. In the culture can be found: technical sorghum, sugar sorghum, broom sorghum, grain sorghum and others.


The root system is brush, with a strong depth - 2.5 m, and with a branch reaching 60-90 cm. Stem tall from 0.5 to 2.5 m. Up to 7 m in tropical countries. Flower - snake 15-60 cm long. It is cross-pollinated.


Flour, starch, cereal, and alcohol are made from sorghum grains. Namja is used in the production of paper, cardboard, and others, making brooms, leather dye from some species. Grains and green mass are good food for animals.


Sorghum is also used to make biofuels. According to studies in the US, sorghum, calculated per 1 m2, can emit more energy than other crops. However, it costs much less to grow, care for, plant and fertilize. The studies were conducted at universities in Florida, Nebraska, Washington and Missouri.


Sorghum is native to Equatorial Africa, with secondary distribution centers: India and China. In India sorghum was cultivated in the third millennium BC, in China and Egypt in the second millennium BC. Introduced in Europe in the XV century, in America in the XVII century.


The following were common in Georgia:




Variety name: Sorghum bicolor ‘Mchada’

Origin: It is an ancient local variety, sown in the lowlands of western Georgia, mainly in Samegrelo. This variety was also referred to as "Chkidi".


Variety description: It is an early variety, its vegetation period is 90-105 days. The plant is of medium height - 120-170 cm tall. Is upright. The stem is juicy, with a sweet taste. The snake is relatively short - 25-35 cm. There are 280 grains in the snake. The mass of 1000 grains is 43-50 grams. The shell of the grain is light purple.


Variety name: Sorghum bicolor ‘Jiqura’

Origin: An ancient local variety, sown in highland areas. It is still described in 1772 in Racha, with ghomi and corn.


Characterization of the variety: It is an early variety, its vegetation period is 115 days. The plant is erect, unbranched, height 180-200 cm. The flower is scaly, semi-broom-like. Flower length is 20-30 cm. The head is not completely grown from the leaf axils. Tavtuni Kili is red, unblemished. The number of grains in a snake is 250. The mass of 1000 grains is 39 grams.


Variety Name: Broom Sorghum Bicolor ‘Tsotskhi’

Origin: It is an ancient local variety, sown both in the foothills and in the lowlands. At present, this variety is not found as a separate crop, sown around corn fields and in the border areas of homestead plots (Imereti, Samegrelo, Kvemo Svaneti, Kvemo and Shida Kartli).


Characterization of the variety: It is an early variety, its vegetation period is 110-125 days. The plant is quite tall - 190-250 cm. It is erect, unbranched, the flower is flat, broom-shaped, spread like a marathon, 45-50 cm long. The head is mottled purple-yellow. The lateral petals of the flower are of medium length - 15 cm. The number of grains in a snake is 250 pieces. The mass of 1000 grains is 43-55 grams.


Information about the varieties was provided by the Association of Organic Farms "Elkana".


Agricultural machinery


By biological characteristics, there is not much difference between sorghum groups. The culture is heat-loving and drought-resistant (withstands 400C heat). The optimum temperature for plant growth and development is + 250С… + 350С.


It is not strictly demanding to the soil, it adapts well to long sowing on the same plot. In dry regions, sorghum yields higher than corn and barley.


Sorghum can not withstand frosts (at any stage of development), spring frosts can destroy the entire crop or significantly damage it, so speeding up sowing is not advisable.


It is less demanding to water, however, under irrigation conditions, the yield increases significantly.


Soil cultivation includes: weeding, deep plowing, pre-sowing cultivation, cultivation can be done twice.


Responds well to the use of fertilizers. Gives a high yield when 10-20 t is applied per hectare. Nakel, N45-60 kg, P45-60 kg, K45-60 kg (phosphorus, nitrogen, and potassium).


Sown when the soil is heated to 12-140C. Sowing depth 6-8 cm, sowing depth 4-5 cm. It is acceptable if abundant rainfall came before sowing.


Distance between rows 45-70 cm. Rows between plants average 25-40 cm. The sowing norm is 10-15 kg. Ha / on; The sowing rate of silage sorghum is 20-25 kg / ha. The mass of 1000 grains is 25-45 grams.


Widely used for sowing sorghum with legumes (soybean, tsertsvela, tsulispira, etc.). In this case, the yield of green mass increases by 15-20% and its nutritional value improves.


The vegetation period is 90-150 days depending on the variety and zones. Sorghum grains practically do not fall off, so they are harvested at the stage of full maturity.


The average yield is more than 25-35 c per hectare, the yield of silage sorghum is much higher. In some regions of Kazakhstan, the yield of grain sorghum under the conditions of proper agro-techniques (irrigation) ha-