General description and special characteristics – A warm-season, short-day annual grass, sorghum is the fourth most important cereal grain grown in the world. Being a C4 photosynthetic pathway plant, sorghum is at an advantage in areas where low rainfall and high temperatures will not produce a reliable corn crop. Even in dry soils, sorghum manufactures starch efficiently, making it a good energy crop for livestock. It grows best under relatively high temperatures and full sunlight exposure. Sorghum is also able to withstand high rainfall, some waterlogging and salinity. It can also endure drought conditions due to its deep-penetrating root system.
Varieties -
- Local Sweet Sorghum (พันธุ์พื้นเมืองหวาน): A variety of sorghum from Mae Jam and Pai regions of Northern Thailand.
- Pang Daeng (พันธุ์ท้องถิ่นปางแดง อาหารสัตว์): 3-meter (10 ft.) tall minor grain crop often intercropped with upland rice. Adapted to a wide range of soils if moderately well-drained. Used as livestock feed and human consumption as well.
- PI 521344 (พันธุ์หวาน): This is a sweet sorghum variety. The seeds are red in color and the plant takes about five months to produce seed.