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Concept
Sorghum bicolor
Summary
Sorghum bicolor, commonly called sorghum (ˈsɔrɡəm) and also known as great millet, broomcorn, guinea corn, durra, imphee, jowar, or milo, is a grass species cultivated for its grain, which is used for food for humans, animal feed, and ethanol production. Sorghum originated in Africa, and is now cultivated widely in tropical and subtropical regions. Sorghum is the world's fifth-most important cereal crop after rice, wheat, maize, and barley, with of annual global production in 2021. S. bicolor is typically an annual, but some cultivars are perennial. It grows in clumps that may reach over high. The grain is small, ranging from in diameter. Sweet sorghums are sorghum cultivars that are primarily grown for forage, syrup production, and ethanol; they are taller than those grown for grain.
Sorghum bicolor is the cultivated species of sorghum; its wild relatives make up the botanical genus Sorghum.
The first archaeological remnants of sorghum are at Nabta Playa on the Upper Nile, c. 8000 BC. However, these are wild sorghum, with small grains and a brittle rachis.Sorghum was domesticated from its wild ancestor more than 5,000 years ago in what is today Sudan. The newest evidence comes from an archaeological site near Kassala in eastern Sudan, dating from 3500 to 3000 BC, and is associated with the neolithic Butana Group culture. It was the staple food of the kingdom of Alodia. And most Sub-Saharan cultures prior to European colonialism
durra, developed in India
guinea, a West African variety requiring high rainfall
caudatum, grown by Nilo-Saharan peoples between Lake Chad and Ethiopia
kafir, a drought-resistant type grown in Southern Africa
bicolor, the most common grain
Sorghum grain cannot be consumed unless the indigestible husk is removed. During the transatlantic slave trade, "the only way to remove the husk was by hand, with mortar and pestle." In the United States enslaved women did most of the work in preparing the sorghum and were tasked with cleaning the grain and turning it into flour.
Official source
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