ABSTRACT
Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) is a unique cereal due to its drought tolerance and adaptation to tropical conditions. Because of these characteristics, sorghum is mainly utilized as a subsistence and cash crop in arid regions. To assure grain supply in semi-arid tropical agricultural systems, sorghum is often intercropped with maize, legumes, and millets. Among cereals, sorghum ranks fifth, with 69.1 million metric tons total production in 1996 [34]. The major sorghum-producing centers are in Asia and Africa (55% of total production), although about 29% of the world supply of sorghum is grown in the United States (Table 1). Production in the United States is concentrated in Kansas, Texas, Nebraska, and Missouri. Statistics of Sorghum Production, 1996
Country
Area harvested (1000 ha)
Yield (kg/ha)
Total production (1000 MT)
Africa
24,243
843
20,434
Nigeria
6,196,000
1,144
7,084
Sudan
6,289,080
634
3,987
Ethiopia
1,760
1,125
1,980
North and Central America
6,794
3,780
25,678
United States
4,816
4,235
20,397
Mexico
1,574
3,061
4,817
South America
1,164
3,034
3,531
Argentina
550
3,876
2,132
Asia
14,041
1,229
17,252
India
11,700
897
10,500
China
1,222
4,726
5,778
Europe
148
4,234
630
Oceania
770
2,067
1,593
Australia
770
2,067
1,592
World
47,204
1,465
69,147
Developed countries
5,953
3,885
23,128
Developing countries
41,252
1,116
46,018
Source: Ref. 33.