Listing description
Sorghum
bicolor, commonly
called sorghum[2](/ˈsɔːrɡəm/) and also known as great millet,[3]durra, jowari,guinea
corn or milo, is a grass species cultivated for its grain, which is used
for food, both for animals and humans, and for ethanol production.
Detailed description
Sorghum originated in northern Africa, and is now cultivated
widely in tropical and subtropical regions.[4] Sorghum is the world's fifth most important cereal crop after rice, wheat, maize and barley. S. bicolor is typically an annual, but some
cultivars are perennial. It grows in clumps that may reach over 4 m high. The
grain is small, ranging from 2 to 4 mm in diameter. Sweet
sorghums are
sorghum cultivars that are primarily grown for foliage, syrup production, and
ethanol; they are taller than those grown for grain.[5][6]
Sorghum bicolor is the
cultivated species of sorghum; its wild relatives make up the botanical genus Sorghum.
Cultivation
The leading producers of sorghum bicolor in 2011 were Nigeria
(12.6%), India (11.2%), Mexico (11.2%) and the United States (10.0%).[7] Sorghum grows in a wide range of
temperature, high altitudes, toxic soils and can recover growth after some
drought.[5] It has four features that make it one of
the most drought-resistant crops:
·
It has a very large root-to-leaf surface area ratio.
·
In times of drought, it will roll its leaves to lessen water
loss by transpiration.
·
If drought continues, it will go into dormancy rather than
dying.
·
Its leaves are protected by a waxy cuticle.
Richard Pankhurst reports (citing Augustus B. Wylde) that in
19th-century Ethiopia, durra was "often the first crop sown on
newly cultivated land", explaining that this cereal did not require the
thorough ploughing other crops did, and its roots not only decomposed into a
good fertilizer, but they also helped to break up the soil while not exhausting
the subsoil.
Uses
Sorghum is cultivated in many parts of the world today. In the
past 50 years, the area planted with sorghum worldwide had increased 66%.[7]In many
parts of Asia and Africa, its grain is used to make flat breads that form the
staple food of many cultures. The
grains can also be popped in a similar fashion to popcorn.
The species can be used as a source for making ethanol
fuel, and in some environments may be better than maize or sugarcane, as it
can grow under harsher conditions.[5] It typically has protein levels of around
9%, enabling dependent human populations to subsist on it in times of famine,
in contrast to regions where maize has become the staple crop. It is also used
for making a traditional corn broom.
The reclaimed stalks of the sorghum plant are used to make a
decorative millwork material marketed as Kirei
board.
Sweet sorghum syrup
is known as molasses in some parts of the U.S., although it is not true molasses.
In China,
sorghum is known as gaoliang (高粱), and
is fermented and distilled to produce one form of clear spirits known
as baijiu 白酒 of
which the most famous is Moutai (or Maotai).
Sorghum was ground and the flour was the main alternative to wheat in northern
China for a long time.
In India, where
it is commonly called jwaarie,
jowar, jola, or jondhahlaa,
sorghum is one of the staple sources of nutrition. An Indian bread, jowar roti or jolada
rotti, is prepared from this grain. In some countries, sweet sorghum
stalks are used for producing biofuel by squeezing the juice and then
fermenting it into ethanol. Texas A&M University in the United States is currently running trials
to find the best varieties for ethanol production from sorghum leaves and
stalks in the USA.
In Australia, South
America, and the United
States, sorghum grain is used primarily for livestock feed and in a
growing number of ethanol plants.
Agricultural uses
It is used in feed and pasturage for livestock. Its use is
limited, however, because the starch and protein in sorghum is more difficult
for animals to digest than the starches and protein in corn. Research is being done to find a
process that will pre-digest the grain. One study on cattle showed that
steam-flaked sorghum was preferable to dry-rolled sorghum because it improved
daily weight gain. In hogs,
sorghum has been shown to be a more efficient feed choice than corn when both
grains were processed in the same way.
The introduction of improved varieties, along with improved
management practices, has helped to increase sorghum productivity. In India, it is
estimated that productivity increases have freed up six million hectares of
land. The International
Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) in
collaboration with partners produces improved varieties of crops including sorghum. Some
194 improved cultivars of sorghum from the institute have been released.[15]
Research
Research is being conducted to develop a genetic cross that will
make the plant more tolerant to colder temperatures and to unravel the drought
tolerance mechanisms, since it is native to tropical climates In the United States, this is
important because the cost of corn is steadily increasing due to its usage in ethanol production for addition to gasoline.
Sorghum silage can be used as a replacement of corn silage in the diet for dairy
cattle. Other research
has shown that a timely harvest of sorghum is essential for a safe feed
product. The plants need to be harvested during the time when the plant's total
moisture content is between 63 and 68 percent, to prevent lodging.Approximately, this is when the grain
reaches the "soft dough" stage. More
research has found that sorghum has higher nutritional value compared to corn
when feeding dairy cattle. And the type of processing is also essential in
harvesting the grain's maximum nutrition. Feeding steam-flaked sorghum showed
an increase in milk production when compared to dry-rolling. When a grain is steam-flaked, it is
cooked slightly, this makes certain nutrients more available to be digested.
Genome
The genome of Sorghum
bicolor was sequenced between
2005 and 2007.
Parasite
Sorghum is a host of the parasitic plant Striga hermonthica. This parasite is a devastating pest on
the crop.
We usually
bag ores in 50kg,100kg,150kg and 200kgs depending on specifications. Now for a
50kg bagged ore it will contain 480 bags for a 20ft container,610 bags for a
40ft container, 642 and 674 bags for a
48ft and 53ft containers respectively. For a 100kg bagged ore we have 240 bags for a 20ft container, 305 bags
for a 40ft container,329 bags for
48ft and 344 bags for a 53ft
container. However, the best method to transport ores such as iron is through
ship loads such as in 25000 ,50000, tones and so on, because through this way
the transporting is less cumbersome and one can transport more materials at a
given time.
PRICE
$170/TON
For more information:
mobile: +2348039721941
contact person: emeaba uche
website: www.franchiseminerals.com
e-mail: emeabau@yahoo.com
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