Download The Grain Sorghum Plant - Illinois Ag in the Classroom

GRAIN
USES:
Sorghum
livestock feed, ethanol, gluten-free
flour,
hay,
silage,
pasture, packing peanuts
What is grain sorghum?
Grain sorghum is one of the most important dryland
crops grown in the area stretching from Texas to
South Dakota. It is a plant that looks a lot like corn but
is shorter and more colorful. The head grows on the
top of the plant and is white, yellow, red or bronze.
Sorghum is sometimes referred to as milo.
The Grain Sorghum Plant
Kansas leads the nation in the production of grain
sorghum. Grain sorghum is used to feed livestock,
in the production of ethanol and also for human
consumption. Grain sorghum does not contain
gluten, so sorghum food products play an important
role in the diets of people who are gluten intolerant.
Sorghum has also been used as wallboard in the
housing industry. Recently, U.S. sorghum has seen
increased usage in the production of biodegrabale
packaging material.
VOCABULARY
Acre: a unit of land measure equal to 43,560 square feet
(about the size of a football field).
Bushel: a unit of weight used to measure how much grain is
harvested. One bushel of grain sorghum weighs about 56
pounds.
Commodity: something of value that you can buy, sell or trade.
It is usually an unprocessed or partially processed good, such
as fruits, vegetables, grains and livestock.
Flower: begins to open and pollinate after the panicle or grain
head has emerged.
grain head: located at the top of the plant. It is a panicle with
spikelets that are in pairs that holds the seeds.
Grain sorghum: a self-pollinating plant belonging to the grass
family of plants that produces strong stalks with a single head
of grain at the tip of each stalk.
Roots: a underground portion of a plant that draws nutrients
and water from the soil, stores plant nutrients and anchors the
plant.
seed: contains the embryo, which can grow into a new plant.
stalk: used for support and contains the leaves of the plant.
Image and information provided by Dr. I.A. Ciampitti,
KSUCROPS Lab, Dept. of Agronomy, K-State University.
[email protected]; Twitter @KSUCROPS
sorghum
types of
sorghum:
grain
forage sorghum, sorghum-sudangrass, sweet sorghum, broom-
corn
United States grain Sorghum Production
Grain Sorghum Timeline
8,000 B.C. —
Domestication of grain sorghum
occurred in Northeastern
Africa. The earliest record goes
back to Nabta Palya during an
archeological dig.
1757—
The first record of grain sorghum
in the U.S. was from Benjamin
Franklin who wrote about using
it to produce brooms.
Late 1700s — Grain sorghum
plants spread into India, China
and eventually Australia.
early 1900s — Kansas was
the leader in grain sorghum
research. The very first grain
sorghum variety, Pink kafir,
was developed at the Hays
Experiment Station. It became
the first variety sold to growers
beginning in 1909 and was
one of the most valuable grain
sorghum varieties for many
years.
1920s— Researchers develop
shorter plants that could be
harvested by combines, rather
than by the earlier laborintensive techniques of cutting,
bundling into shocks and
threshing or feeding later.
1950s— A majority of the sweet
Grain sorghum is native to Africa.
Liberal, Kansas was known as the largest sorghum
broomcorn market in the U.S. in the late 1800s and
early 1900s.
Kansas produces 50% of the total U.S. grain
sorghum crop.
About 15,000-30,000 seeds equal one pound of
grain sorghum.
DID YOU
KNOW?
Kansas ranks as the number one grain sorghum
producing state, harvesting 50% of the entire U.S.
production.
Other major sorghum growing states are Texas,
Oklahoma, Colorado and Arkansas. These states are part
of the “Sorghum Belt,” which runs from South Dakota to
Southern Texas.
The U.S. is the top exporter of grain sorghum,
accounting for almost 75% of the global trade. Sorghum
is shipped to Asia, Africa, Central and South America and
Europe.
In Kansas, grain sorghum is planted in May or early
June and harvested in the fall between September and
November. Each stalk produces a single head with 1,000
to 4,000 seeds per head.
Social Studies & Writing at Home
sorghum grown in the U.S.
was grown for forage purposes
(livestock feed).
1. Use an online search engine or library references to find
countries where sorghum is the primary food for humans.
2012— Kansas led the nation
2. Locate and use map pins to mark the countries on a large
world map or color the countries in on a smaller world map.
in the number of acres of grain
sorghum harvested.
3. Write a paper on the advantages of making biofuel from
grain sorghum vs. making it from corn. Share your findings
with your classmates or family!
Benefits of the sorghum plant
Grain
Sorghum
Sorghum only requires 6
inches of water to produce
its first bushel and can
produce more grain per inch
than other comparable crops.
Grain
Sorghum
Plant
Benefits
The leaf of a sorghum plant aids in its ability to be a drought
and heat-tolerant crop. Grain sorghum leaves hold moisture in
dry climates. The smaller leaf pores and waxy coat reduce the
sorghum leaf’s water loss through transpiration. Under drought
conditions the plant becomes dormant and will curl up its leaves
to reduce water loss.
Smaller leaf
pores reduce
sorghum’s leaf
water loss
Waxy leaves
hold in moisture
during dry
conditions
Sorghum plays an important role in the
lives of millions of people throughout
the world through its ability to produce
high yields in drough situations.
The DNA composition
of sorghum attributes
to beneficial qualitities such as stay
green, drought and
heat tolerance
Known as a high-energy, heat and
drought-tolerant crop that thrives in
arid conditions.
Fibrous root system increases its ability
to mine water, making it a natural water
conserver.
Sorghum leaves have ability to reduce
water loss with waxy coat and smaller
pores.
Plant leaf structure
Dormancy traits
allow sorghum to
tolerate stressful
conditions
Photo Credit:
Sorghum Checkoff
Sorghum’s
fibrous root
system increase
its ability to
mine water
Cuticle: Impermeable layer;
protects against water loss,
fungus and bacteria
Spongy layer: Large intracellular
spaces for the exchange of
CO2 and oxygen
Palisade layer: Chloroplasts are
lined up to facilitate the capture
of light
Vein: Provides support and
Stomata: Small openings on the
underside of the leaf
transports water, minerals and
nutrients through leaf
grain sorghum Use in the United States
careers:
grain
sorghum
soil & crop scientist,
farmer,
marketing, sorghum
sorghum
entomologist, sales
Spotlight on Careers:
sorghum breeder — A Sorghum Breeder works on
developing breeding strategies for the crop. They run
efficient operations using the developed breeding strategies. These breeders incorporate desired traits into new
products. They ensure that quality and efficient operations
are being done. Sorghum breeders develop and identify
new and improved sorghum hybrids.
Agricultural Engineer — An Ag Engineer works with
technology and engineering science and applies it to
agricultural production and processing. Ag Engineers work
on everything from irrigation and drainage to consulting
and manufacturing agricultural machinery and equipment,
processing technology and structures
for storing crops.
In the United States, South America and Australia, grain
sorghum has traditionally been used for livestock feed
and in a growing number of ethanol plants. Sorghum
produces the same amount of ethanol per bushel as
comparable feedstocks and uses one third less water.
A significant amount of U.S.
sorghum is also exported to
international markets where
it is used for animal
feed, ethanol and
other uses. In recent
years, sorghum’s use
in the ethanol market
has seen tremendous
growth, with 30% of
domestic sorghum
typically going to
ethanol production.
In the livestock market,
sorghum is used in the poultry,
beef and pork industries. Stems
and foliage are used for green
chop, hay, silage and pasture.
In the U.S., sorghum is
primarily as a feed grain for
livestock. The grain is typically
rolled or cracked to increase
digestibility for the cattle.
Grain sorghum continues to gain popularity in U.S. food
products because of its gluten-free and non-GMO properties. Sorghum is an excellent substitute for wheat, rye and
barley. It can also be steamed or popped and is consumed
as a vegetable in some areas of the world.
Sorghum is also used for building material, fencing, floral
arrangements, pet food and brooms.