ABSTRACT
Sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] is a signifi cant cereal crop for the sustainable livelihood of the resource poor farmers of the semi-arid tropics. The grain is a major food in most of Africa, Asia and Central America while it is an important animal feed in the Americas and Australia. Sorghum crop residues and green plants also provide sources of animal feed, building materials and fuel particularly in dry land areas of the semi-arid tropics. Alternative uses include beer, alcohol and syrup production. Globally, the fi fth most important cereal crop with an estimated world production of 54.2 m tons from a harvested area of about 35.4 m ha, sorghum is grown in 100 countries of Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Americas (FAO 2013). Predominantly grown under rainfed-marginal lands with low input farming systems, India, Nigeria, Mexico, the USA, Argentina and Ethiopia are the major producers.
