Another variation between varieties is the sweetness of the juice within the stalk. Sorghum leaves tend to fold rather than roll, as do corn leaves when subject to moisture stress. The inflorescence ranges from loose and open to a dense closed panicle. Seed color varies among the sorghum varieties from white to dark brown. The endosperm is white, and the sorghums have the same vitamin A deficiency as white corn.
Sorghums are fast-growing, warm weather annuals.
They are best suited to warm, fertile soils, as cool, wet soils limit their growth. Therefore, their production in the Upper Midwest may be limited to the warmer regions and soils of Wisconsin and Minnesota. The crop tolerates drought relatively well, although it responds to adequate fertility and soil moisture with faster growth. It also tolerates short periods of flooding better than corn. The plant will stop growing in the absence of adequate water, but it won't wilt.