Sorghum

Sorghum or broomcorn is a genus of about 25 species of flowering plants in the grass family (Poaceae). Some of these species are grown as cereals for human consumption, in pastures for animals as fodder, and as bristles for brooms. Sorghum grain is a nutritious food rich in protein, dietary fiber, B vitamins, and minerals.
Sorghum is either cultivated in warm climates worldwide or naturalized in open plains. In 2021, world production of sorghum was 61 million tonnes, with the United States as the leading grower.
History
Sorghum was domesticated from its wild ancestor more than 5,000 years ago in what is today Sudan. The newest evidence comes from an archaeological site near Kassala in eastern Sudan, dating from 3500 to 3000 BC, and is associated with the neolithic Butana Group culture. It was the staple food of the kingdom of Alodia.
Taxonomy
Sorghum is in the grass family, Poaceae, in the subfamily Panicoideae, in the tribe Andropogoneae the same as maize (Zea mays), big bluestem (Andropogon gerardi), and sugarcane (Saccharum spp.).
Species
Accepted species recorded include:
Genetics and genomics
Agrobacterium transformation can be used on this genus, as shown in a 2018 report of such a transformation system. A 2013 study developed and validated an SNP array for molecular breeding.
Distribution and habitat
Seventeen of the 25 species are native to Australia, with the range of some extending to Africa, Asia, Mesoamerica, and certain islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
Production
In 2021, world production of sorghum was 61 million tonnes, led by the United States with 19% of the total (table). India, Ethiopia, and Mexico were secondary producers.
Toxicity
In the early stages of plant growth, some sorghum species may contain levels of hydrogen cyanide, hordenine, and nitrates lethal to grazing animals. Plants stressed by drought or heat can also contain toxic levels of cyanide and nitrates at later stages in growth.
Uses
The grain is edible and nutritious. It can be eaten raw when young and milky, but has to be boiled or ground into flour when mature.
Sorghum cultivation has been linked by archeological research to ancient Sudan around 6,000 to 7,000 BP. One species, S. bicolor, native to Africa with many cultivated forms, is a common crop worldwide, used for food (in the form of grain or sorghum syrup), animal fodder, the production of alcoholic beverages, and biofuels.
In Nigeria, the pulverized red leaf-sheaths of sorghum have been used to dye leather, and in Algeria, sorghum has been used to dye wool.
Nutrition
Sorghum grain is 72% carbohydrates including 7% dietary fiber, 11% protein, 3% fat, and 12% water (table). In a reference amount of , sorghum grain supplies 79 calories and rich contents (20% or more of the Daily Value, DV) of several B vitamins and dietary minerals (table).
Polyphenols
All sorghums contain mixed polyphenols, such as phenolic acids and flavonoids. Sorghum grains are one of the highest food sources of proanthocyanidins.
Cultivation
Most varieties of sorghum are drought- and heat-tolerant, nitrogen-efficient, and are grown particularly in arid and semi-arid regions where the grain is one of the staples for poor and rural people. These varieties are forage in many tropical regions. S. bicolor is a food crop in Africa, Central America, and South Asia, and is the fifth most common cereal crop grown in the world.
Role in global economy
Global demand for sorghum increased dramatically between 2013 and 2015, when China began purchasing US sorghum crops to use as livestock feed as a substitute for domestically grown maize. China purchased around $1 billion worth of American sorghum per year until April 2018, when China imposed retaliatory duties on American sorghum as part of the trade war between the two countries.
References
Further reading
External links
"Sorghum and millets in human nutrition" FAO Report (1995)
Cereals
Forages
Tropical agriculture
Poaceae genera
Andropogoneae
Plant dyes