Sorghum: a more drought-resistant crop compared to maize

Summary in the original language of the document

There are various types of sorghum: sugar, biomass, fodder and grain. Sorghum can be used in different ways: as a single cut (growth of up to 3-4 metres), multi cut (multiple cuts), silage, grazed or fresh (please pay attention to the technical advice on hydrocyanic acid). Sorghum grain can be used for fodder or human nutrition, including the production of flour for gluten-free bread, buns, porridge, pasta, snacks, drinks, and more. At Agroscope, research is conducted on different sorghum varieties, both sugary and for biomass. The sugar varieties are more digestible but have a lower yield, while the biomass varieties are less digestible but produce more yield. Heat maps have been developed to determine where sorghum can mature, with grain sorghum requiring a longer vegetation period than forage sorghum. In conclusion, sorghum can be a complementary crop to maize in difficult climatic conditions, such as during summer droughts or in areas where maize does not grow well.