And Egypt - from the II millennium BC. e. In the 15th century, sorghum was brought to Europe, and in the 17th century to America.

Sorghum has a straight high stem from 0.5 m (in dwarf forms) to 7 m (in tropical forms) in height. The root system of sorghum penetrates the soil to a depth of 2-2.5 m.

Growth

About 50 cultivated and wild species growing or cultivated in Asia (mainly in the southwestern part), Africa (Equatorial and South), South and North America, Europe (in the south of the continent), Australia. Also, sorghum is grown in the south of Russia and in the steppe zone of Ukraine, in Moldova.

Industry

Sorghum production by years
thousand tons.

A country
USA	28456	11650	9848	6272
Nigeria	4911	6997	8028	6900
India	10197	9327	8000	6010
Mexico	6597	4170	6300	6969
Argentina	6200	1649	2900	4252
Sudan	3597	2450	2600	1883
China	5696	4854	2593	2003
Ethiopia	-	1141	1800	3604
Australia	1 369	1 273	1 748	2238
Brazil	268	277	1 530	2016

Worldwide, 55.6 million tons of sorghum were harvested in 2010. The average yield was 1.37 tons per hectare. The most productive farms were in Jordan, where the yield reached 12.7 tons per hectare. The average yield in the largest sorghum producer, the United States, was 4.5 tons per hectare.

The area devoted to sorghum cultivation is decreasing, while the yield per hectare is increasing. Over the past 40 years, the largest amount of sorghum in the world was produced in 1985 - 77.6 million tons.

Usage

Sorghum grain is processed into cereals, flour and starch, wicker products, paper, brooms are made from straw. Green mass goes to silage, but not any, since young plants of many types of sorghum are poisonous.

The most common annual species of this plant are:

• Sorghum bicolor()Moench- Grain sorghum
  • Sorghum bicolor subsp. bicolor - durra, dzhugara;
  • Sorghum bicolor nothosubsp. drummondii (Steud.) de Wet ex Davidse- Sudanese grass, or Sudanese sorghum, or Sudanese

The expediency of sorghum cultivation in arid and semi-arid regions of the planet is determined by its versatility and high productivity. Green mass and grain are readily eaten by many types of farm animals. Sorghum is not only a high-yielding crop, it is rich in carbohydrates, proteins, carotene, tannins, vitamins, which play an important role in increasing the productivity of animals.

In terms of nutritional properties, grain and green mass of sorghum are almost as good as corn, and in some regions even surpass it. In addition to fodder, sorghum grain is used for the alcohol and starch industry. In Third World countries, technical (broom) sorghum is widely used for the production of various brooms and brooms.

According to S.L Patil and H. Basappa, during the dry season, sorghum is the main food product in the semi-desert regions of India.

Many types of sorghum, along with the high quality of grain and green mass, contain tannin in the grain and hydrocyanic acid in the leaves and stems of plants, which in some cases led to animal poisoning.

Sugar sorghum and Sudan grass have performed well in mixed crops with legumes, corn, sunflowers. The juicy stalk, rich in sugars, allows you to get balanced silage and haylage, while crop productivity remains very high.

general characteristics

According to biological characteristics, there are no big differences between sorghum groups. Sorghum is a heat-loving, heat- and drought-resistant crop. The optimum temperature for seed germination, growth and development of plants is + 20 ... + 30C. Plants do not tolerate frost in any phase of development. Spring frosts can completely destroy or significantly thin out crops, so do not rush to planting dates. Cooling during flowering, even at positive temperatures, can lead to overgraining.

For full maturation of most varieties of sorghum, the sum of positive temperatures should be 3000-3500°C. As S.L Patil and H. Basappa (2004) point out, during a severe drought, the yield of sorghum hybrids of different productivity levels out.

Sorghum is not demanding on moisture. The amount of water required for swelling of sorghum seeds is 35% of the total weight of seeds (for corn - 40%, chumis - 42%, mogar - 58%, wheat - 60%). It has also been established that sorghum consumes 300 parts of water for the formation of a unit of dry matter (Sudan grass - 340, corn - 338, wheat - 515, barley - 534, oats - 600, peas - 730, alfalfa - 830, sunflower - 895, castor beans - 1200) . Therefore, N. I. Vavilov called sorghum “the camel of the plant world”. As a tropical plant, in the process of evolution it has developed a great adaptability to the lack of moisture and its economical use.

Studies of the anatomical structure, biological and physiological characteristics of sorghum showed its high xerophyte, which is due not only to the power and selective ability of the root system, but also to the structural features of the leaf surface, stomatal apparatus, the presence of a dense epidermis and white wax coating.

A characteristic feature of sorghum is the low intensity of growth in the initial period, as well as the ability to suspend its growth during the period of unfavorable conditions for growth and development and remain in an anabiotic state until favorable conditions come.

Sorghum crops grow well after mowing, which is actively used in fodder production. In the conditions of the Stavropol Territory, with irrigation, you can get up to 4 full-fledged mowings per season. M. N. Khudenko and I. P. Kuznetsov (1991) note that the most economically advantageous for irrigation is the mowing of Sudanese grass in the “beginning of heading” phase. This makes it possible to shorten the inter-cutting period and obtain three full-fledged cuttings of green mass per season in the conditions of the Saratov region.

Despite the high drought resistance, sorghum reacts strongly to moisture supply and gives a large increase in yield. In the conditions of the foothill dry steppe zone of Kazakhstan, when irrigated, grain sorghum is able to produce grains from 52.6 to 62.5 / ha.

Sorghum is a photophilous short-day plant. This is due to its adaptation to the high solstice and is associated with great demands on the intensity of short-wave radiation. In the majority of sorghum accessions, vegetation decreases with a short day, and increases with a long one (over 15 hours). At the same time, there are varieties and forms of sorghum that are neutral and slightly sensitive to the length of the day.

Sorghum is a rather unpretentious crop to soils and can grow on fertile loams, light sandy and well-aerated clayey, weed-free soils. Often sorghum is used for the development of virgin and reclaimed lands. In addition, having a powerful root system, sorghum can produce satisfactory and good yields for a number of years on soil that is depleted and depleted for other cereals. Sorghum is only intolerant of cold, waterlogged soils and does not grow well in acidic soils. Unpretentiousness to soils makes it possible to use sorghum as the first crop in the development of eroded slopes.

Sorghum, being undemanding to soils, responds positively to improved conditions of mineral nutrition, especially on poor soils.

Sorghum classification

Sorghum is characterized by an extremely wide variety of species, subspecies and varieties. Genus Sorghum Moench. belongs to the bluegrass family (Poaceae Bernh.) and includes 60-70 species of cultivated sorghum and a group of semi-wild and wild plants.

According to some reports, sorghum was introduced into cultivation in Africa in 2500-3000 BC. e. On the European continent, a little later, in 2000 BC. e. . As a result, for the entire period of study and cultivation of sorghum in the world, many scientists have tried to systematize sorghum.

Authors J.D Snowden, De Wet, J.P. Huckebay systematized sorghum and divided it into 28 cultivated and 24 wild related subspecies. English botanists O. Stapf and J.D. Snowden divided the sorghum genus into two sections, and the largest of them into two subsections: the first was annual species, the second - perennial. In each subsection, botanist J.D. Snowden installed two sections. He attributed to the first one more than 30 cultivated types of grain, sugar and broom sorghum, grouped into six sub-series; to the second - Sudanese grass and 16 wild-growing species of sorghum. Subsequently, several more species of sorghum were described, as a result of which the sections already include 56 species of sorghum plants.

Currently, the systematization of sorghum proposed by E. S. Yakushevsky (1969) is used, where the entire variety of forms of sorghum crops is divided according to the principle of economic use into 4 groups (grain, sugar, grassy and broom) and 8 species (guinean grain sorghum, grain sorghum kaffir sorghum, Negro grain sorghum, grain sorghum, Chinese grain sorghum, sugar sorghum, grass sorghum, technical or broom sorghum).

1. Guinean grain sorghum (S. guineense Stapf., Jakuschev.) has the greatest varietal diversity in the countries of West Equatorial Africa, located south of the Sahara and adjacent to the Gulf of Guinea. This type of sorghum has a regenerative capacity. The VIR collection contains several late-ripening low-growing forms of Guinea sorghum, which have a high combination ability.

2. Sorghum grain kaffir (S. caffrorum Beauv., Jakuschev.) has the greatest varietal diversity in the countries of South Africa located south of 10 ° S. sh. Kaffir sorghum is the most common species in our country. As a result of its hybridization with forms of bread sorghum, Russian breeders, primarily E. S. Yakushevsky, bred a number of varieties of grain sorghum, fertility restorers and sterility fixers.

3. Grain sorghum Negro (S. bantuorum Jakuschev.) has varietal diversity in the countries of Central and Eastern Equatorial Africa. In our country, Negro sorghum is not widely used.

4. Grain sorghum (S. durra Forsk., Jakuschev.) It is mainly distributed in the countries of Northeast Africa, the Near and Middle East, in Arabia, India and Pakistan, where it has been an important food and fodder crop since time immemorial. It is represented by cultivar types Durra, Dzhugara, Milo. Bread sorghum is divided into the following subspecies according to the shape and nature of the fruiting spikelets, films and grains:

• Ethiopian sorghum (S.durra ssp. aethiopicum Jakuschev.);
• Nubian sorghum (S.durra ssp. nubicum Jakuschev.);
• arabian sorghum (S.durra ssp. arabicum Jakuschev.).

5. Chinese grain sorghum (S.chinense Jakuschev.) or kaoliang, has the greatest varietal diversity in the countries of East Asia. This species is characterized by relative cold resistance, precocity. The grain color of varieties of this species, as a rule, is reddish-brown with different shades. The grain contains a lot of tannins, which give it a bitter taste. Therefore, in Russia it is practically not cultivated. Gaoliang is used in breeding programs as a donor of cold hardiness, early maturity and resistance to certain types of diseases and pests. According to the nature of the endosperm, the grains of the sorghum-kaoliang variety are divided into two subgroups:

• kaoliang vulgaris (S. chinense convar. communis Jakuschev.) has a grain of vitreous or powdery consistency, containing starch, giving a typical blue color in a solution of potassium iodide.
• kaoliang waxy (S. chinense convar, glutinosum Jakuschev.) has a caryopsis of a dull white or waxy consistency (in the context) and starch, which gives a violet-red color in a solution of potassium iodide. Forms and varieties contain starch, which is valuable in nutritional and technical terms, but they are not common in Russia.

7. grassy sorghum (Sorghum sudanense Jakuschev.). Of the entire species of grassy sorghum, only two varieties - Sudanese grass and generous sorghum are introduced into the culture. Sudanese grass is one of the most valuable annual grasses and is widely cultivated in various soil and climatic conditions. It is somewhat inferior to sorghum in terms of drought resistance, but it can withstand a certain degree of soil salinity well. Breeders have created a wide variety of varieties of Sudanese grass. And when crossed with sterile lines of grain sorghum, it produces sorghum-Sudanese hybrids that are superior in many respects to their parents. Sudanese grass and sorghum-Sudanese hybrids grow well and can give a full second cut of excellent green fodder.

8. Sorghum technical, or broom (Sorghum technikus sonvar, occidentocuresicum Jakuschev.). This type is mainly used for the production of high-quality brooms, brushes, brooms, which are in great demand in the national economy. Separate lines are used in the creation of hybrids, some of them (Saratov silage) are characterized by high productivity.

Thus, the classification of E. S. Yakushevsky (1969) quite fully and specifically covers the planetary species diversity of sorghum, which is currently used in various sorghum-growing countries of the world.

In the modern classification, the genus is divided into sections: Chaetosorghum, Heterosorghum, Parasorghum, Sorghum, Stiposorghum.

Some species

• Sorghum amplumLazarides
• Sorghum angustumS.T.Blake
• Sorghum bicolor()Moench
• Sorghum brachypodumLazarides
• Sorghum bulbosumLazarides
• Sorghum ecarinatumLazarides
• Sorghum exstansLazarides
• Sorghum grandeLazarides
• Sorghum halepense() Pers.
• Sorghum interjectumLazarides
• Sorghum intransF. Muell. ex Benth.
• Sorghum laxiflorumF.M. Bailey
• Sorghum leiocladum(Hack.) C.E.Hubb.
• Sorghum macrospermumE.D. Garber
• Sorghum matarankenseE.D. Garber & Snyder

Sorghum durra01.jpg

Sorghum bicolor03.jpg

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Notes

1. For the conditionality of indicating the class of monocots as a parent taxon for the group of plants described in this article, see the section "APG Systems" of the article "Monocots".
2. in the database Index Nominum Genericorum International Association for Plant Taxonomy (IAPT). (English)
3. The Plant List :
4. Sorghum- article from the Great Soviet Encyclopedia. N. S. Kalashnik.
5. . FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2010). .
6. . uralniishoz.ru. Retrieved April 19, 2012. .
7. . FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2011). .
8. Kalashnik N. S., 1960; Kuznetsov M.I., 1961
9. Patil S.L., Basappa H., 2004
10. Orlov V. M., 1960; Shibraev N. S., Ogurtsov V. N., 1968
11. Khudenko M. N., Kuznetsov I. P., 1991; Asanov Sh. Sh., 2003
12. Naumenko A. I., Kalashnik M. F., 1972; Radchenko A. F., 1988; Matowo P.R., 1992; J.E.Jahagirdar, S.T. Borikar, 2002; Nafikov M. M., 2006
13. Zavarzin A. I., 1994; Bolshakov A. Z., Kolomiets N. Ya., 2003
14. Shorin P. M., 1976; Shepel N. A., 1985
15. Krylov A. V., Filatov V. I., 2002
16. Kuzmichev V.N., 1959, Nooman Said Abdo, 1989; McGowan M., Taylor H.M., 1991; Sow A.A., 1992; Patil S.L., 2002
17. Shepel N. A., 1985
18. Shepel N. A., 1985; Gorpinichenko S. I., 2005; Zherukov B. Kh., 2005
19. Shepel N. A., 1985; Muslimov M. G., 2003
20. Karimov V.K., Tashbekov H., 1974; Masandilov E. S., Naftaliev Sh. P., 1978; Cheporukha V.N., 1981; Karakalchev A. S., 1988; Kruzhilin I.P., 2002; Patil S.L., 2003
21. Omarova A. Sh. et al., 2004
22. Bolshakov A. Z., Kolomiets N. Ya., 2003
23. Olekseenko Yu. F., 1979; Kazakova A. S., 1987; Patel P.C., 1988; Bolshakov A. Z., Kolomiets N. Ya., 2003; Rafig S.M., 2003
24. Filipiev I. D., Ustenko Z. F., 1965; Dobryakova E. P., 1971; Alimov A., 1973, 1977; Mandarenko A. F. et al., 1982; Alabushev V. A., Streltsov V. N., 1988; Telikh K. A., 2005
25. Ivanyukovich L. K., 1991
26. Snowden J.D., 1936; De Wet, Huckebay J.P., 1967
27. Stapf O., 1917; Snowden J.D., 1936; Ivanyukovich L.K., 1978, 1983, 1991
28. Isakov Ya. I., 1982

Literature

• // Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron: in 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - St. Petersburg. , 1890-1907.
• Demidenko B. G. Sorghum. - M .: Selkhozizdat, 1957. - 158 p.

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An excerpt characterizing Sorghum

Princess Mary interrupted him.
“Oh, that would be so awful…” she began, and without finishing from excitement, with a graceful movement (like everything she did in his presence), bowing her head and looking gratefully at him, she went after her aunt.
On the evening of that day, Nikolai did not go anywhere to visit and stayed at home in order to settle some accounts with the horse sellers. When he finished his business, it was already late to go somewhere, but it was still early to go to bed, and Nikolai walked up and down the room alone for a long time, pondering his life, which rarely happened to him.
Princess Mary made a good impression on him near Smolensk. The fact that he met her then in such special circumstances, and the fact that it was precisely her at one time that his mother pointed out to him as a rich party, made him pay special attention to her. In Voronezh, during his visit, the impression was not only pleasant, but strong. Nikolai was struck by the special, moral beauty that he noticed in her this time. However, he was about to leave, and it never occurred to him to regret that, leaving Voronezh, he was deprived of the opportunity to see the princess. But the current meeting with Princess Mary in the church (Nikolai felt this) sank deeper into his heart than he foresaw it, and deeper than he wished for his peace of mind. This pale, thin, sad face, this radiant look, these quiet, graceful movements, and most importantly, this deep and tender sadness, expressed in all her features, disturbed him and demanded his participation. In men, Rostov could not stand to see the expression of a higher, spiritual life (that's why he did not like Prince Andrei), he contemptuously called it philosophy, daydreaming; but in Princess Mary, it was in this sadness, which showed the whole depth of this spiritual world alien to Nicholas, that he felt an irresistible attraction.
“A wonderful girl must be! That's the angel! he said to himself. “Why am I not free, why did I hurry with Sonya?” And involuntarily he imagined a comparison between the two: poverty in one and wealth in the other of those spiritual gifts that Nicholas did not have and which therefore he valued so highly. He tried to imagine what it would be like if he were free. How would he propose to her and she would become his wife? No, he couldn't imagine it. He felt terrified, and no clear images presented themselves to him. With Sonya, he had long ago formed a future picture for himself, and all this was simple and clear, precisely because it was all invented, and he knew everything that was in Sonya; but with Princess Mary it was impossible to imagine a future life, because he did not understand her, but only loved her.
Dreams about Sonya had something cheerful, toy in them. But thinking about Princess Mary was always difficult and a little scary.
How she prayed! he remembered. It was evident that her whole soul was in prayer. Yes, this is the prayer that moves mountains, and I am sure that her prayer will be fulfilled. Why don't I pray for what I need? he remembered. - What I need? Freedom, denouement with Sonya. She spoke the truth,” he recalled the words of the governor’s wife, “except for misfortune, nothing will come of the fact that I marry her. Confusion, woe maman... things... confusion, terrible confusion! Yes, I don't like her. Yes, I don't like it as much as I should. My God! get me out of this terrible, hopeless situation! He suddenly began to pray. - Yes, prayer will move a mountain, but you have to believe and not pray like Natasha and I prayed as children that the snow would turn into sugar, and ran out into the yard to try whether sugar is made from snow. No, but I’m not praying about trifles now, ”he said, putting the receiver in the corner and, folding his hands, standing in front of the image. And, touched by the memory of Princess Marya, he began to pray in a way he had not prayed for a long time. Tears were in his eyes and in his throat when Lavrushka entered the door with some papers.
- Fool! what do you climb when you are not asked! - said Nikolai, quickly changing position.
“From the governor,” Lavrushka said in a sleepy voice, “the courier has arrived, a letter for you.
- Well, okay, thanks, go!
Nicholas took two letters. One was from the mother, the other from Sonya. He recognized them by their handwriting and opened Sonya's first letter. Before he had time to read a few lines, his face turned pale and his eyes opened in fright and joy.
- No, it can't be! he said aloud. Unable to sit still, he is with a letter in his hands, reading it. began to walk around the room. He ran through the letter, then read it once, twice, and, raising his shoulders and spreading his arms, he stopped in the middle of the room with his mouth open and his eyes fixed. What he had just prayed for, with the assurance that God would grant his prayer, was fulfilled; but Nicholas was surprised by this as if it were something extraordinary, and as if he had never expected it, and as if the very fact that it happened so quickly proved that it did not come from the god he asked, but by mere chance.
The seemingly unresolvable knot that tied Rostov's freedom was resolved by this unexpected (as it seemed to Nikolai), unprovoked letter from Sonya. She wrote that the last unfortunate circumstances, the loss of almost all the property of the Rostovs in Moscow, and the countess's repeated wishes that Nikolai would marry Princess Bolkonskaya, and his silence and coldness lately - all this together made her decide to renounce him. promises and give him complete freedom.
“It was too hard for me to think that I could be the cause of grief or discord in the family that did me good,” she wrote, “and my love has one goal in the happiness of those whom I love; and therefore I beg you, Nicolas, to consider yourself free and to know that in spite of everything, no one can love you more than your Sonya.
Both letters were from Trinity. The other letter was from the Countess. This letter described the last days in Moscow, the departure, the fire and the death of the entire state. In this letter, by the way, the countess wrote that Prince Andrei, among the wounded, was traveling with them. His position was very dangerous, but now the doctor says there is more hope. Sonya and Natasha, as nurses, look after him.
With this letter, the next day, Nikolai went to Princess Marya. Neither Nikolai nor Princess Marya said a word about what the words could mean: "Natasha is courting him"; but thanks to this letter, Nikolai suddenly became close to the princess in an almost family relationship.
The next day, Rostov accompanied Princess Marya to Yaroslavl and a few days later he himself left for the regiment.

Sonya's letter to Nicholas, which was the fulfillment of his prayer, was written from the Trinity. That's what caused it. The thought of Nicholas marrying a rich bride occupied the old countess more and more. She knew that Sonya was the main obstacle to this. And Sonya's life of late, especially after the letter from Nikolai, who described his meeting in Bogucharovo with Princess Marya, became harder and harder in the countess's house. The countess did not miss a single opportunity for an insulting or cruel allusion to Sonya.
But a few days before leaving Moscow, touched and agitated by everything that was happening, the countess, calling Sonya to her, instead of reproaches and demands, with tears turned to her with a plea that she, sacrificing herself, would pay for everything, what was done for her was to cut off her ties with Nikolai.
“I will not be at peace until you make this promise to me.
Sonya burst into tears hysterically, answered through her sobs that she would do everything that she was ready for anything, but she did not make a direct promise and in her soul could not decide what was demanded of her. It was necessary to sacrifice oneself for the happiness of the family that nurtured and raised her. Sacrificing herself for the happiness of others was Sonya's habit. Her position in the house was such that only on the path of sacrifice could she show her virtues, and she was used to and loved to sacrifice herself. But before that, in all acts of self-sacrifice, she was joyfully aware that, by sacrificing herself, she thereby raises her price in the eyes of herself and others and becomes more worthy of Nicolas, whom she loved most in life; but now her sacrifice had to consist in giving up what for her was the whole reward of sacrifice, the whole meaning of life. And for the first time in her life she felt bitterness towards those people who did her good in order to torture her more painfully; she felt envious of Natasha, who had never experienced anything like this, never needed sacrifices and forced others to sacrifice herself and still loved by everyone. And for the first time, Sonya felt how out of her quiet, pure love for Nicolas a passionate feeling suddenly began to grow, which stood above both rules, and virtue, and religion; and under the influence of this feeling, Sonya involuntarily, having learned secrecy by her dependent life, answered the countess in general indefinite words, avoided conversations with her and decided to wait for a meeting with Nikolai so that in this meeting she would not free, but, on the contrary, forever connect herself with him .
The troubles and horror of the last days of the Rostovs' stay in Moscow drowned out the gloomy thoughts that weighed on her in Sonya. She was glad to find salvation from them in practical activities. But when she found out about the presence of Prince Andrei in their house, despite all the sincere pity that she felt for him and for Natasha, a joyful and superstitious feeling that God did not want her to be separated from Nicolas, seized her. She knew that Natasha loved one Prince Andrei and did not stop loving him. She knew that now, brought together in such terrible conditions, they would fall in love again, and that then Nicholas, due to the relationship that would be between them, would not be able to marry Princess Mary. Despite all the horror of everything that happened in the last days and during the first days of the journey, this feeling, this consciousness of Providence intervening in her personal affairs, pleased Sonya.
In the Trinity Lavra, the Rostovs made the first day of their trip.
In the hotel of the Lavra, the Rostovs were assigned three large rooms, one of which was occupied by Prince Andrei. The wounded man was much better that day. Natasha sat with him. The Count and Countess were sitting in the next room, conversing respectfully with the rector, who had visited his old acquaintances and investors. Sonya was sitting right there, and she was tormented by curiosity about what Prince Andrei and Natasha were talking about. She listened to the sound of their voices through the door. The door to Prince Andrei's room opened. Natasha, with an agitated face, came out of there and, not noticing the monk who rose to meet her and took hold of the wide sleeve of his right hand, went up to Sonya and took her by the hand.
- Natasha, what are you? Come here, said the Countess.
Natasha came under the blessing, and the abbot advised to seek help from God and his saint.
Immediately after the rector left, Nashat took her friend by the hand and went with her into an empty room.
Sonya, right? will he be alive? - she said. - Sonya, how happy I am and how unhappy I am! Sonya, my dear, everything is the same as before. If only he were alive. He can't ... because, because ... because ... - And Natasha burst into tears.
- So! I knew it! Thank God, said Sonya. - He will be alive!
Sonya was excited no less than her friend - both by her fear and grief, and by her personal thoughts, not expressed to anyone. She, sobbing, kissed and consoled Natasha. "If only he were alive!" she thought. After weeping, talking, and wiping away their tears, the two friends approached Prince Andrei's door. Natasha carefully opened the door and peered into the room. Sonya stood next to her at the half-open door.
Prince Andrei lay high on three pillows. His pale face was calm, his eyes were closed, and you could see how evenly he breathed.
- Oh, Natasha! Sonya suddenly almost screamed, clutching her cousin's arm and stepping back from the door.
- What? What? Natasha asked.
“This is this, that, this…” said Sonya with a pale face and trembling lips.
Natasha quietly closed the door and went with Sonya to the window, not yet understanding what she was being told.
“Do you remember,” Sonya said with a frightened and solemn face, “remember when I looked for you in the mirror ... In Otradnoye, at Christmas time ... Do you remember what I saw? ..
- Yes Yes! - Natasha said, opening her eyes wide, vaguely remembering that then Sonya said something about Prince Andrei, whom she saw lying.
– Do you remember? Sonya continued. - I saw then and told everyone, both you and Dunyasha. I saw that he was lying on the bed,” she said, making a gesture with her hand with a raised finger at every detail, “and that he closed his eyes, and that he was covered with a pink blanket, and that he folded his hands,” Sonya said, making sure as she described the details she saw now, that these same details she saw then. Then she saw nothing, but said that she saw what came to her mind; but what she thought up then seemed to her just as real as any other memory. What she then said, that he looked back at her and smiled and was covered with something red, she not only remembered, but was firmly convinced that even then she had said and seen that he was covered with a pink, precisely pink blanket, and that his eyes were closed.
“Yes, yes, exactly pink,” said Natasha, who also now seemed to remember what was said in pink, and in this very she saw the main extraordinary and mysteriousness of the prediction.
“But what does that mean? Natasha said thoughtfully.
“Ah, I don’t know how extraordinary all this is! Sonya said, clutching her head.
A few minutes later, Prince Andrei called, and Natasha went in to him; and Sonya, experiencing a feeling of excitement and tenderness rarely experienced by her, remained at the window, pondering the whole unusualness of what had happened.
On this day there was an opportunity to send letters to the army, and the countess wrote a letter to her son.
“Sonya,” said the countess, looking up from her letter as her niece passed her. - Sonya, will you write to Nikolenka? said the countess in a low, trembling voice, and in the look of her tired eyes, peering through glasses, Sonya read everything that the countess meant by these words. This look expressed both prayer, and fear of refusal, and shame at what had to be asked, and readiness for irreconcilable hatred in case of refusal.
Sonya went up to the countess and, kneeling down, kissed her hand.
“I will write, maman,” she said.
Sonya was softened, agitated and touched by everything that happened that day, especially by the mysterious performance of divination that she just saw. Now that she knew that on the occasion of the resumption of relations between Natasha and Prince Andrei, Nikolai could not marry Princess Mary, she gladly felt the return of that mood of self-sacrifice in which she loved and used to live. And with tears in her eyes and with joy in the consciousness of committing a generous deed, she, interrupted several times by tears that clouded her velvety black eyes, wrote that touching letter, the receipt of which so struck Nikolai.

In the guardhouse, where Pierre was taken, the officer and soldiers who took him treated him with hostility, but at the same time respectfully. There was also a sense of doubt in their attitude towards him about who he was (isn't he a very important person), and hostility due to their still fresh personal struggle with him.
But when, on the morning of the next day, the shift came, Pierre felt that for the new guard - for officers and soldiers - he no longer had the meaning that he had for those who took him. And indeed, in this big, fat man in a peasant's caftan, the guards of the other day no longer saw that living person who fought so desperately with the marauder and the escort soldiers and uttered a solemn phrase about saving the child, but they saw only the seventeenth of those held for some reason, according to the order of the higher authorities, taken by the Russians. If there was anything special in Pierre, it was only his timid, concentrated, thoughtful look and the French language, in which, surprisingly for the French, he spoke well. Despite the fact that on the same day Pierre was connected with other suspects taken, since the officer needed a separate room that he occupied.
All the Russians kept with Pierre were people of the lowest rank. And all of them, recognizing the gentleman in Pierre, shunned him, especially since he spoke French. Pierre sadly heard ridicule over himself.
The next day, in the evening, Pierre learned that all these detainees (and, probably, including himself) were to be tried for arson. On the third day, Pierre was taken with others to a house where a French general with a white mustache, two colonels and other Frenchmen with scarves on their hands were sitting. Pierre, along with others, was asked questions about who he is with that allegedly exceeding human weaknesses, accuracy and determination with which defendants are usually treated. where he was? for what purpose? and so on.
These questions, leaving aside the essence of life's work and excluding the possibility of disclosing this essence, like all questions asked at the courts, aimed only at substituting the groove along which the judges wanted the defendant's answers to flow and lead him to the desired goal, that is, to the accusation. As soon as he began to say something that did not satisfy the purpose of the accusation, they accepted the groove, and the water could flow wherever it wanted. In addition, Pierre experienced the same thing that the defendant experiences in all courts: bewilderment, why did they ask him all these questions. He felt that it was only out of condescension or, as it were, courtesy that this trick of the substituted groove was used. He knew that he was in the power of these people, that only power had brought him here, that only power gave them the right to demand answers to questions, that the only purpose of this meeting was to accuse him. And therefore, since there was power and there was a desire to accuse, there was no need for the trick of questions and trial. It was obvious that all answers had to lead to guilt. When asked what he was doing when they took him, Pierre answered with some tragedy that he was carrying a child to his parents, qu "il avait sauve des flammes [whom he saved from the flame]. - Why did he fight with a marauder? Pierre answered, that he defended a woman, that the protection of an offended woman is the duty of every man, that... He was stopped: it did not go to the point. Why was he in the yard of the house on fire, where witnesses saw him? He answered that he was going to see what was being done in Moscow. They stopped him again: they did not ask him where he was going, but why he was near the fire? Who is he? They repeated the first question to which he said that he did not want to answer. Again he answered that he could not say this .
- Write it down, it's not good. Very bad, - the general with a white mustache and a red, ruddy face said sternly to him.
On the fourth day, fires began on Zubovsky Val.
Pierre was taken with thirteen others to the Crimean Ford, to the carriage house of the merchant's house. Walking through the streets, Pierre was choking on the smoke that seemed to be rising over the whole city. Fires were visible from all sides. Pierre did not yet understand the meaning of the burned Moscow and looked at these fires with horror.

Today, sorghum is a very promising crop that withstands severe droughts and at the same time has high productivity, and also has high fodder qualities.

From the article you will learn everything about the features of sorghum, its types and cultivation technology. Following the tips below, you can not only grow a fodder plant variety to get raw materials for animal feed, but also get valuable material and be able to tie a broom with your own hands.

Growing sorghum

Grain and green mass obtained from this crop, as well as hay, are used as feed for pigs, cattle, poultry, horses and sheep.

The prevalence of this culture is due to the fact that the plant contains a large amount of carbohydrates, amino acids, protein, carotene, provitamin A, B vitamins, riboflavin, minerals and tannins.

Lemon

Lemongrass is a perennial herbaceous plant native to tropical countries. It has long and tall leaves resembling a reed (Figure 1). However, it has a citrus flavor and is very often added to teas or refreshing drinks. The palatability of the plant was appreciated by the inhabitants of the Caribbean and Asian region, and they use it as a seasoning in the kitchen.

Figure 1. Lemongrass

Also, fresh grass is used to prepare essential oil and subjected to distillation for further use in the perfume and food industries. This plant is very widespread in Africa, as the plant is effective against tsetse and mosquito bites.

Sugar

Sweet sorghum is one of the most drought-tolerant crops in the world. A distinctive feature of the plant against the background of other representatives of this culture is the presence of up to 20% sugar in the stem.

Note: Sweet sorghum is the only plant in nature that can synthesize sucrose so quickly. Its cultivation in the southern arid regions is very promising, since the cultivation of sugar beet is not economically viable in hot climates.

The bushes of the plant are quite high and can reach 3.5 m (Figure 2). They have succulent stems that weigh up to 60% of the total mass of the plant. The yield is from 20 to 30 t/ha. The biological features of this crop make it possible to obtain good yields of green mass on soils with low fertility and on solonchaks, with minimal precipitation (about 200 mm per year).

Figure 2. External features of sugar sorghum

Grains membranous or slightly open, panicle sprawling. After flowering, the plant begins to accumulate sugar in the stems. During the waxy phase and during the period of full ripening, the stems contain the maximum level of sugar. This culture is used in such industries: bioenergy, feed production and food industry.

Cereal

Today, grain sorghum is an important crop in the food industry, as it is used as feed and in technical industries. This plant is not picky about weather conditions and grows well on heavy clay, solonetsous and light sandy loamy soils. On such soils, other agricultural crops have low yields, unlike other types of crops.

Figure 3. Grain sorghum: external features

Plants of grain sorghum in comparison with other types of this culture are undersized (stem height is only 100-150 cm). The core of the stem is dryish and half juicy, the central vein of the leaf is white or greenish (Figure 3). A high level of drought resistance is associated with a very developed root system: it can absorb a large amount of moisture from different soil layers. The leaves and stem are covered with a wax coating, which also reduces the evaporation of water.

Preparing soil and seeds for planting

Pre-sowing soil preparation is carried out to preserve moisture in it, which has accumulated over the winter, as well as to destroy weeds.

Note: The best way to retain more moisture is to harrow the fallow land early with heavy tine harrows. This harrowing is done in one or two tracks across or diagonally to the direction of autumn plowing. After completion of the early spring harrowing of the soil, cultivation is not carried out until weed shoots become visible.

Before sowing seeds, it is necessary to carry out two cultivations and rolling layers of plough. Carrying out the first cultivation allows you to accelerate the heating of the soil and saturate the soil with moisture. The second cultivation is carried out on the day of planting the seeds to a depth of 5-7 cm. Rolling is carried out using a ringed roller. In the presence of excess moisture on the field, rolling is not recommended, as this provokes the formation of a crust on the surface and slows down seed germination.

When preparing seeds for planting, their technical condition is of great importance, which depends on such factors as timely harvesting, quick drying to a moisture content of 13%, sorting and storage. During sorting, the seeds must be divided into fractions, as this affects the field germination.

Seeding technology

The choice of sowing time depends on the condition of the soil, climatic conditions, biological special varieties and their hybrids, as well as the purpose of planting. With insufficient moisture in the fields, sowing should be carried out as soon as possible, and on irrigated moist soils for several periods. An example of sowing sorghum manually and using machinery is shown in Figure 4.

Note: Establishing the timing of sowing works has a positive effect on obtaining high yields and green mass, and also creates positive conditions for the normal development of plants at all stages of cultivation.

Soil temperature is essential for the growth of various crop varieties. So, at +14-16 degrees, sprouts appear on the 10-12th day, but with an increase in temperature to +28, this occurs on the 5-6th day after sowing.

Figure 4. Sowing sorghum at home

An important factor in sowing is the correct planting depth of the seeds, as they must be placed on firm, moist soil and at the optimum depth. They are not recommended to be planted deep into the soil, as this crop is small-seeded. Also, a large sowing depth can negatively affect seedlings and plant growth progress. The optimal depth for planting is 5-6 cm, and for sugar this figure is 7 cm.

The placement of seeds in the field and their density are essential for the future harvest. The most common sowing method is wide-row dotted with a distance of 70 cm between rows. However, the highest yields are obtained with a row spacing of 60 cm, as well as at 45 cm. Planting seeds at a width of 45 cm allows you to evenly distribute the seeds in the beds.

During the application of the dotted method of sowing, a higher yield of sorghum crops was noted than when using the square-nest method. The dotted method will help to evenly place the seeds in the beds, get friendly seedlings and a bountiful harvest.

plant care

At the very beginning of the growing season, sorghum grows slowly and can be drowned out by weeds. In the care of the sown crop, post-sowing rolling with spur rollers can be of great help.

Note: During this rolling, it is necessary to move quickly, as this will cause the loose soil clods to sink back and form a mulch layer. The formation of a mulch layer will help protect the soil from excessive evaporation of moisture. Post-sowing rolling helps to establish close contact between seeds and soil, increases the flow of moisture from the lower soil layers to the seeds and levels the field surface.

After sowing for 4-5 days, they begin to fight weeds with the help of obligatory harrowing. Repeated harrowing is carried out under such circumstances: the seedlings are visible 2-3 cm from the surface, after sowing the cold has come and the seedlings are not visible. For the first harrowing, up to 70% of weeds are destroyed, and for the second, up to 85%.

In the future, crops are cared for by inter-row cultivation with mounted cultivators. However, inter-row cultivation is started only after the seeds have germinated and the beds are clearly visible. When carrying out cultivation on the field, it is necessary to adhere to the width of the protective zone (12 cm).

At the very beginning of the growing season, varieties are clogged much more than other crops, since seedlings grow much more slowly than weeds. Therefore, sorghum management often involves the use of herbicides.

Protection from pests and diseases

Completely all varieties of crop species have strong immunity to a large number of diseases and pests. The vegetative organs of the plant are covered with a wax coating, the grains contain tannin alkaloids, which help maintain the culture's resistance to diseases. However, crops must be carefully monitored in order to diagnose the disease in time and eliminate it.

Major pests of sorghum include(picture 5):

1. grass aphid is the most common pest and carrier of viruses. The insect sucks out the cell sap of the leaves, which disrupts all the vital functions of the plant (carbohydrate metabolism, photosynthesis, protein synthesis). The number of cereal aphids depends on weather conditions, since wet and warm weather favorably affects the development of individuals. Under good conditions for development, grass aphids can produce up to 12 generations. However, at low humidity, the development of aphids is delayed.
2. Wireworms and false wireworms are in second place after aphids in terms of harmfulness. Wireworms also infect corn crops and it is necessary to rotate these crops in the crop rotation on the field. Soil with infected corn is not recommended for planting sorghum.
3. swedish flies appear on crops in late April and mid-May. Pests lay their eggs on seedlings of plants or on the soil surface. After a short period of time, the hatched larvae bite and penetrate into the stem of cereals, which leads to the death of the plant.
4. Scoop caterpillars can damage most plants, and are common on sorghum and corn. Caterpillars cause particular harm to the sugar species during the period of ejection and flowering of the panicle.
5. Stem corn borer damages most agricultural crops. From the very beginning, this pest feeds on young leaves, after which it penetrates the stem and, having made its way to the upper internode, makes a hole and moves to the next plant. Moths can remain for the winter in the remains of the stems. Corn borers, having damaged the stem in the region of the internode, slow down the development of cereals.

Figure 5. The main pests of sorghum: 1 - aphid, 2 - wireworm, 3 - Swedish fly, 4 - cutworm caterpillar, 5 - stem corn borer

In our country, sorghum occupies small areas for sowing, and therefore the disease is not widespread. Crop varieties are less affected by smut diseases, but at the same time they suffer greatly from bacterial stem rot, which reduce yields and feed quality.

Among the common diseases of sorghum are(picture 6):

1. Seed mold can be observed at early sowing dates and during a cold long spring. Most seed diseases are caused by fungi. Prevention methods are considered to be timely cleaning of seeds, their thorough drying after collection and dressing with chemicals before sowing.
2. Fusarium and Alternaria are fungal diseases and are harmful to all cultivars. The causative agents of this disease appear only when suitable conditions arise (high seed moisture, damaged shell, cold and damp soil) and move to seedlings and seeds of cereals. When storing seeds in conditions with high humidity, the fungus can significantly affect the germination of seeds. The critical mark in the level of humidity is 14.5-15%. As a preventive measure for these diseases, it is recommended to treat the seeds in advance.
3. Hard and dusty smut damage adult plants and instead of grains on the panicles, smut swellings are formed. Infection of grains occurs during threshing. The mycelium of the fungus penetrates the tissue and secretly develops. After that, the manifestation of smut can be observed during the formation of the grain. The spread of loose smut is carried out with seeds through the soil, which will be noticeable at the final stage of flowering. Panicles can completely or partially turn into a dusty mass, and also infected plants are stunted (excessive bushing, branching and dramatically reducing yield). In preventive measures, it is recommended to carry out autumn plowing, remove rotten residues and alternate crops.
4. stem rot causes reddening of the upper leaves of the plant, their curling and drying. The color change of the plant is partial, and it goes from the base of the leaves to the top. However, the root system and the bottom of the plants remain healthy. In places affected by stem rot, the tissues are watered and have a brown tint with an unpleasant sour odor. This disease affects young plants. Late crops are not affected by stem rot and bacterial spot.
5. Rust causes significant damage to crops at high humidity. The manifestation of the disease begins with the formation of small spots of a purple or reddish-brown hue. After that, the spots merge into continuous stripes, and premature drying of the leaves occurs. However, the size of the spots depends on the development of the disease. In the fight against rust, such manipulations on the field can help: periodic autumn plowing, observing the alternation of crops in crop rotation, the destruction of weeds and carrion, feeding plants with phosphorus-potassium fertilizers.

Figure 6. Diseases of sorghum: 1 - seed mold, 2 - fusarium, 3 - loose smut, 4 - stem rot, 5 - rust

Harvesting and processing

The collection of green mass can be started from mid-July and carried out until the end of August. To obtain green mass on your personal plot, you need to sow seeds at several times, for example, with an interval of 10 days.

During harvesting, sorghum practically does not crumble from the fields, and for this reason it is harvested in the phase of full grain ripeness. However, do not forget that there is a large amount of moisture in the collected ripe grains and stems. Before direct threshing, it is necessary to dry the entire crop to a moisture content of 12-13%. Seeds can maintain their high sowing qualities for 5 years.

Sorghum broom: how to tie it, photo and video

Making a sorghum broom with your own hands is very simple. To do this, you need to collect ripe yellow panicles. But since the plant contains a lot of moisture, it must be dried additionally. To do this, the plants are suspended in a dry, ventilated room with panicles down. Drying lasts from 10 to 30 days.

Figure 7. Making a broom with your own hands

After that, you need to free the panicles from the seeds. To do this, just shake the stems strongly over a container or cloth.

Making a broom from sorghum is carried out as follows:

1. A hook is driven in under the ceiling. One end of the rope is tied to it, and the other end to a board up to 1.2 meters long. Ideally, the rope from the hook to the board should reach the floor.
2. We take 15-20 stems, align them and tie them with a rope 30 cm from the edge. The tension on the rope causes the board to rise. After that, you need to start gradually rotating the sorghum so that the rope wraps around the stems. So it turns out a strong broom handle.
3. Thus, you need to prepare several bundles, and tightly tie them together with twine.
4. The rest will be the working surface of the broom. To make it flat, it is placed for several days between two boards twisted with bolts.

You can see how to make a sorghum broom in more detail in Figure 7. And from the video you will learn more details about making a broom at home.

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22.03.2018

A crop like sorghum ( lat. sorghum, what does it mean in translation "rise"), due to its rather long and strong stem, is better known as a natural raw material for the manufacture of quality brooms.

The homeland of this annual plant is East Africa, where this crop was grown back in the 4th century BC. Then the plant spread widely in India, in the countries of the European continent, in Asia and America.

Due to its resistance to dry and hot climates, sorghum has long been considered the most valuable food product and is still the main source of food for peoples representing the African continent.

Today, sorghum is one of the five most popular plants in the world and has found application in a wide variety of areas of human activity. This culture grows well in Ukraine (especially in the southern regions).

Sorghum is a rather unpretentious heat-loving cereal plant with a well-developed root system.

It is not difficult to grow this plant, because it shows good yields, is absolutely not demanding on the composition of the soil and can grow even in marginal lands. The only negative is that it does not tolerate frost well. On the other hand, sorghum resists droughts well, is resistant to many harmful insects and infections, therefore, in most cases, it does not require the use of expensive pesticides.

In addition to an excellent set of vitamins and minerals, the plant is a valuable source of carbohydrates and protein, so it is recommended for athletes to quickly gain muscle mass and recuperate.

However, in cooking, this product is rarely used in its pure form, since sorghum seeds have a bitter taste and a rather thick skin. But the plant is effectively used in animal husbandry (as a feed base for livestock and birds), and vitamin complexes and food additives are also produced from it.

The main varieties of sorghum and useful properties

There are about 70 cultivated sorghum species and 24 wild varieties worldwide.

Sorghum, depending on the scope of application, is divided into several types:

Cereal

Sugar

· Herbaceous

Lemon

It occupies a separate place technical variety of this plant, from which ordinary brooms are made.

grain sorghum widely used as a raw material for the production of food: cereals, starch and flour, from which cereals, cakes are prepared and bread is baked, pre-mixing it with wheat flour for better viscosity.

The starch extracted from these plants is widely used in pulp and paper production, in the mining and textile industries, and in medicine. Sorghum surpasses even corn in terms of starch content, and it is much easier to grow it.

sugar variety sorghum contains up to 20% natural sugar (its maximum concentration is observed in the stems immediately after the flowering phase), so the plant is used to produce jams, molasses, beer, various sweets and alcohol.

It is noteworthy that sorghum sugar, unlike beet and cane sugar, is considered dietary, so it is recommended to use it even for people with diabetes. In addition, the production of sugar from sorghum costs 50% (!) Cheaper than other analogues.

Since this plant contains a large amount of beneficial nutrients, the sugar variety of sorghum is used to produce high-quality silage and hay.

Sorghum is also increasingly being used for biofuel production. For example, in China there is a special state program aimed at the cultivation of this crop, since solid briquette fuel is produced from it, as well as biogas and bioethanol.

Among other things, sugar sorghum is an excellent antioxidant, helping to remove heavy metals, harmful salts and various toxic elements from fertile soil, therefore it is widely used in crop rotation, having a phytomeliorative effect on the soil.

Concerning lemongrass, due to its pronounced lemon aroma, this plant is widely used in the perfume industry and is used to prepare various drinks, spices and marinades. As it turned out, lemongrass tea, in addition to its excellent aroma and tonic effect, is good for colds, as it has antiseptic, antibacterial and antipyretic properties.

Lemon sorghum is also very popular in many cuisines around the world as a seasoning for meat, fish and vegetables. A valuable oil is also produced from it, which strengthens the hair well, giving it a healthy shine and beauty.

Grassy varieties of sorghum are mostly used for animal feed, because they have increased juiciness, and the core of their stems is rich in vitamins and minerals.

Varieties of technical sorghum quite a bit of. The grains of these crops are commonly used as bird food, and the stems are used to make brooms. The most valuable for the production of brooms are varieties that have smooth and soft panicles. Varieties with red panicles are less valued because their stems are stiffer.

In addition, technical grades are most often used in the production of paper.

Sorghum has a fairly high calorie content (100 grams of the product contains 339 kilocalories).

The plant also contains a record amount of carbohydrates ( 68.3 grams in 100 grams), as well as a large number of proteins ( 11.3 grams), fat ( 3.3 grams) and other useful substances.

The composition of sorghum includes a huge amount of fiber, protein, the most valuable macro and micro elements (calcium, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, sodium, zinc, molybdenum, and so on), as well as vitamins of groups B1, B2, B6, PP, C, H.

Thanks to this set of useful substances, the plant has a powerful healing and healing effect, therefore it is widely used in medicine. For example, sorghum seeds, because they are rich in folic acid, are recommended for pregnant women and nursing mothers. Among other things, sorghum improves appetite, stimulates brain activity, strengthens the heart muscle, and helps to remove toxins from the body.

How to prepare raw materials for making brooms

It is not difficult to grow sorghum, because this plant is absolutely unpretentious. To begin with, it is desirable to find seeds of a technical variety. The most suitable for the manufacture of brooms are stems that dry out on the vine.

Before planting, sorghum seeds should be soaked in water for thirty minutes and all grains that have surfaced should be discarded, since they are unsuitable for sowing the crop into the ground. Next, the seeds should be thoroughly dried and can be planted.

This plant is very thermophilic, so it is desirable that the selected piece of land is well warmed by the sun.

Usually, sorghum seeds are planted immediately after the onset of sustained heat (usually in early May). Sow the crop in rows, planting the seeds to a depth of 5 centimeters.

After the mass emergence of seedlings (the process takes about two weeks), they should be thinned out, leaving the strongest and healthiest shoots. The distance between plants should be about ten centimeters.

Before planting, it is desirable to fertilize the site, and fertilize with humus or urea.

It is important to loosen the soil throughout the growing season and remove weeds in time.

Around the end of August, the seeds are fully mature, the stem dries out, and the panicles become dark reddish-brown in color. Cut the stems should be at the very root.

Now you can knit brooms.

Sorghum is a fodder and partly a technical and food crop. Grain is an excellent raw material for compound feed, it can be used as feed for pigs, cattle, horses and birds. Green mass and sorghum hay are good feed for dairy cattle. Sorghum silage is close in quality to corn silage. Sorghum grows well after cutting, its crops can be used as a pasture. Leaves and stems remain juicy until the grain is fully ripe

Grain sorghum gives stable yields - from 2.5 to 5 t/ha. The yield of green mass for silage is 18-30 t/ha, and with irrigation - 80-100 t/ha.

Sorghum grain is used in starch-treacle and alcohol production. Groats are obtained from grain. Sorghum syrup can be obtained from the stems of plants of sugar varieties containing up to 10-15% sugars (24% in juice). Panicles of broom varieties are used to make brooms, brushes and other products. Sorghum is widely used as a rock plant.

The centers of origin of sorghum are Equatorial Africa, India and China. Sorghum has been cultivated in India and China since 3000 BC. e. In Central Asia, its culture is 2500-3000 years old. Sorghum appeared in Russia in the 17th century.

The sown area of ​​sorghum in the CIS is about 200 thousand hectares. In the future, it is planned to expand its crops. The main areas of sorghum cultivation should be considered the arid steppe regions of the south of Ukraine and Moldova, the North Caucasus, the Lower Volga region, Kazakhstan, irrigated areas of Central Asia and Transcaucasia (on saline soils), as well as semi-moisture dry land.

The world area under sorghum is about 47 million hectares. Large areas are cultivated in India. China and Africa, as well as in arid

Rice. 14. Panicles of sorghum;

1-lumpy with a straight stem; 2 - lumpy with a curved end of the stem (jugar); 3 - Broom (spreading) with a shortened main axis and long side branches; 4 - spreading with a developed main axis.

States of the USA. Sorghum is also cultivated in the Middle East and European countries. In world agriculture, the average yield of sorghum grain is about 1.5 t/ha.

The most common types of sorghum . Sorghum belongs to the genus Sorghum, which includes many annual and perennial species. Of the cultivated species on the territory of the CIS, common sorghum is common - S, vulgare Pers., kaoliang - S. chinetlse Jakushev. dzhugara - S. cernuum Host and Sudan grass - S. sudanense Pers. All of them are annuals and are cultivated for food, technical and fodder purposes. Of the wild species of sorghum in Central Asia and the Caucasus, there is humai - a malicious weed.

According to the nature of the panicle and the density of the arrangement of branches of different orders, sorghum is divided into three subspecies (Fig. 14): spreading (paniculate) -ssp. effusum Korn., condensed - ssp. contractum Korn, and lumpy - ssp. compactum.

Spikelets of sorghum panicles are single-flowered, arranged in twos or threes. The predominant type of pollination is cross-pollination, but self-pollination is also possible.

The grain of sorghum is round, without a groove, naked or membranous, in spikelets and flowering scales, the weight of 1000 seeds is 20-30 g. From 1600 to 3500 grains are formed in one panicle.

According to the nature of use, sorghum is divided into four groups.

Grain sorghum - Relatively undersized, slightly bushy, cultivated for grain. The core of the stem is semi-dry. The grain is open and easily collapses. Food grades are white-grained, without smack of tannin.

Sugar sorghum - Tall plant, grows well. The succulent stems are used to make molasses and syrup, as well as for silage. The largest amount of sugar (up to 15% in raw stems, up to 24% in sake stems) is observed in the phase of full grain ripeness. The grain is usually filmy and semi-filmous, difficult to break.

broom sorghum Cultivated to obtain panicles used for the manufacture of brooms, brushes, etc. For fodder purposes, it is less suitable. Differs in a dry core of a stalk. Panicles are long (50-90 cm), do not have a main axis (the axis is shortened). The grain is filmy, difficult to break. From panicles collected from 1 ha (1.5-2 tons), 2-4 thousand brooms can be made. Panicles of the best quality - bright green, without reddish spotting, 35-50 cm long, thin, flexible, even.

grassy sorghum (Sudanese grass) is characterized by intensive growth of thin stems and high bushiness. Cultivated for green fodder and hay.

All types of sorghum are easily crossed. The first generation of hybrids gives increased productivity. Noteworthy are the hybrids of dzhugara with broom sorghum and sorghum with Sudanese grass.

Biological features . Sorghum is a very promising crop for the arid southern and southeastern regions of the country (up to semi-deserts) due to its exceptional drought resistance, thermophilicity, heat resistance and salt tolerance. Its transpiration coefficient is 150-200.

In irrigated agriculture on saline soils of Central Asia, dzhugara (a type of cultivated sorghum) is more productive than corn, while on non-saline soils, corn is preferable.

Sorghum makes good use of the rains of the second half of summer and early autumn. It is extremely resistant to heat, drought, dry winds: when corn leaves already lose turgor and curl up, sorghum leaves continue to assimilate.

In the initial period before rooting (30-40 days), sorghum grows slowly and can “freeze” during drought (leaves curl, growth stops, the plant weakly adheres to primary roots).

In terms of heat requirements, sorghum is superior to millet, chumiza and corn. Its grain begins to germinate at a temperature of 12 - 13 ° C. Seedlings are very sensitive to low temperatures, even short-term frosts (below -2 ° C) are detrimental. Sorghum develops well at a temperature of 30-35 °C. The minimum average daily temperature for flowering sorghum is 14-15°C, for ripening - 10-12, the sum of temperatures for the growing season is 2250-2500°C. Sorghum is a photophilous short-day plant.

It is undemanding to the soil, grows on both heavy and very light soils. It has good salt tolerance, but prefers warm, loose, weed-free soils with permeable subsoil. It responds well to the application of manure and nitrogen-phosphorus fertilizer.

Place in crop rotation. Sorghum is placed in crop rotation after winter crops, grain legumes, corn for silage. It tolerates repeated crops well and can be cultivated on permanent plots. As a tilled crop, sorghum is a satisfactory precursor to spring crops.

tillage. Under sorghum, the soil is treated in the same way as under millet. Sorghum is responsive to deep ploughing, and the yield of green mass increases by 22-25%.

Fertilizer. The need for fertilizers in sorghum is about the same as that of millet and corn. Sorghum responds best to complete mineral fertilizer (N60P60K60) applied under ploughing; it is also necessary to apply fertilizers in rows at a dose of N10P10.

Sowing. Sowing starts when the seed layer of soil warms up to 12 - 15 ° C. In unheated soil, the seeds do not germinate for a long time and rot. Before sowing, the seeds are sorted and heated.

Sorghum is sown in a dotted way with row spacing of 60-70 cm, the distance in a row is 15-20 cm (seeding rate is 10-14 kg/ha). When cultivating for grain, the square-nest method can also be used according to the scheme 70X70 or 90 x 90 cm, 4-6 seeds are sown in the nest (seeding rate 6-10 kg/ha).

For green fodder and hay, sorghum is sown in the usual row (15 cm), inter-row (30 cm) or wide-row two-line [(45 ... 60) x15 cm] with a seeding rate of 20-30 kg/ha. The sowing depth of seeds is 3-5 cm, on dry sandy soils - 7-8 cm.

To increase the fodder value of green mass, it is advisable to sow sorghum mixed with soy, chin, beans or vetch. Legumes are sown in independent rows or in a cross direction (50-80 kg/ha). Sufficiently effective joint crops for silage sorghum with soybeans and corn.

Crop care. Immediately after sowing, the field must be rolled with ringed or ribbed rollers to accelerate the emergence of seedlings. The first harrowing is carried out before the emergence of shoots to destroy the shoots of weeds and loosen the soil; the second harrowing by seedlings (3-4 sheets) - for loosening the soil and thinning; sometimes a third harrowing (6-7 leaves) is carried out to control weeds. On wide-row crops, 1-2 inter-row treatments are required. For chemical weed control, crops in the 3-b leaf phase are treated with herbicides of the 2,4-D group.

Cleaning. Grain sorghum does not crumble when ripe, it is harvested at full ripeness by combine harvesters with a reduced number of drum revolutions - up to 500-600 per minute. When grain moisture is above 20%, separate harvesting is used with a converted grain combine or a SM-2.6 sorghum harvester. When cultivating sorghum for green fodder and hay, they start harvesting before the coarsening of the mass - no later than the start of throwing panicles. The time of harvesting sorghum for silage is the phase of wax ripeness of the grain. Sweet sorghum is harvested at the end of waxy ripeness on a low cut. Broom sorghum is harvested at the beginning of full ripeness (panicle branches should still be green). Panicles are cut by hand, and the stems are harvested for silage.

Sorghum, mowed for green fodder, grows and forms aftermath. Hydrocyanic acid can accumulate in young plants (especially when growth is stunted) and in aftermath. With age, the content of hydrocyanic acid decreases. In the beveled dried mass, hydrocyanic acid decomposes.

All people who have held an ordinary shop broom in their hands are familiar with the sorghum plant, since it is this plant that is used to make this indispensable means of cleaning the house and on the street. However, brooms are not all that sorghum is capable of - an amazing plant that came to us from Africa.

Sorghum has been known for thousands of years. In Africa, China and India, sorghum was considered a cereal, since it was used to make flour and bake bread cakes. Gradually, sorghum began to lose ground somewhat, but even now more than 70 million tons of sorghum are produced in the world. At the same time, most of all sorghum is produced in the USA (about 10 million tons per year). In Russia - less than 500 thousand tons.

The fact is that sorghum is a very thermophilic plant and grows well only at temperatures above 20 degrees Celsius. If the temperature is lower, the plant stops its development and may remain a bunch of grass 10-20 cm high, although an adult good plant reaches a height of 2-3 meters. Sorghum does not tolerate not only frost, but also drought, although it consumes less water than other plants (1 unit of sorghum requires 300 units of water, 1 unit of wheat - 500, sunflower - 900, and castor beans - all 1200). For this quality N.I. Vavilov called sorghum "the camel of the plant world". Therefore, in Russia, sorghum is grown only in the southern regions and most often for livestock feed, since 3-4 crops of sorghum grass can be harvested for silage in one season.

Types of sorghum

Grassy - has a juicy core, goes to feed livestock.

Technical (broom) - goes to the manufacture of brooms. In addition to brooms, wicker baskets, decorative items and even paper are made from it in some countries.

Cereal - very similar to millet, but has a stronger shell that makes it difficult to process sorghum into grain.Used for the production of cereals and flour, starch and alcohol. Bread, confectionery and baby food, cereals and alcoholic beverages are made from it. Grain sorghum is the basis of the national dishes of Asia and Africa.

Sugar - has a juicy stalk rich in carbohydrates. Syrup, vegetable honey and molasses are obtained from it.

Lemon - has a pronounced lemon flavor. It is used as a seasoning for meat, fish, seafood and vegetable dishes. It goes well with garlic, pepper and ginger. From lemongrass, an aromatic essential oil is extracted, which is in demand in the food, pharmaceutical and, of course, perfume industries.

The benefits of sorghum

We will not talk now about the benefits of sorghum in the form of brooms and animal feed. Let's talk only about the nutritional value of sorghum for humans. This culture is useful because:

Has a high content of protein and carbohydrates;
- B vitamins stimulate appetite, take care of the skin and digestive tract, increase immunity;
- antioxidants, which are more in sorghum than in blueberries, protect the body from aggressive environmental influences, keeping health and youth longer;
- phosphorus provides strength to bones and elasticity to muscles;
- vegetable fats contribute to the provision of the body with high-density lipoproteins, which preserve the health of the heart and blood vessels longer, and prevent the development of strokes and heart attacks;
- sorghum flour does not contain gluten, and therefore bread and pastries from it are suitable for people suffering from gluten intolerance.

Harm to sorghum

Some varieties of sorghum contain high amounts of hydrocyanic acid, which can cause poisoning. Therefore, when growing sorghum on your own, clearly define its variety and features of use. The store sells food sorghum.

How to use sorghum?

At home, sorghum can significantly expand your list of dishes, make your diet more healthy and varied. Here are the easiest recipes.

Coffee drink. Sorghum grains, peeled from films, should be well fried in a frying pan (until brown) and ground in a coffee grinder. Dry the powder thoroughly, store in a closed glass container. Brew 1 teaspoon of the powder with boiling water before use, you can add sugar to taste.

Sorghum porridge. It is cooked about like rice, but a little longer - about an hour. It cooks especially well in a slow cooker or slow cooker. Ready crumbly cereals can be mixed with fruits, berries or fried vegetables, mushrooms, meat.

Bread made from sorghum flour. It is baked like ordinary bread, but for a guaranteed result it is better to add about 30% wheat flour.

Zatiruha from sorghum flour. A dietary and very nutritious dish. Sorghum flour is steamed with boiling water in an enamel bowl and then intensively rubbed with a wooden spoon. Quickly restores strength after suffering serious illnesses. Useful for those who experience chronic fatigue or often get sick.

Sorghum oil. Sold in stores. Very tasty and healthy. You need to use it in salads and for dressing ready-made dishes, you can fry it on refined, and store it in a closed package in a dark, cool place.

Here is such an amazing culture - sorghum. And since you already know about it, try to use it. A tasty and healthy product, most likely, will take root in your kitchen.