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By: Martin L. Price
Published: 1981-12-19


I recently saw a very tall sorghum being grown in Haiti and was told that they pile the stalks together after the harvest and burn them. This is in a country where there is a severe shortage of fuel for cooking. Upon my return to the U.S. I spoke with Dr. Axtell at Purdue University. He told me of a sorghum commonly grown in Egypt called Giza 114. It has a high-lignin stalk with superior burning characteristics. The grain is of good quality, although it can be damaged by rain near harvest time. The stalks, however, are worth more than the grain in some places where they are the main fuel for cooking and making adobe. We expect to receive see for this variety any day and are looking for collaborators who would like to grow a small plot. The seed would be free in return for information on your results and your opinion on its acceptability as a fuel and food for your community. We will share the results with others on the E.D. Notes.

Cite as:

Price, M.L. 1981. Sorghum for Fuel. ECHO Development Notes no. 1