II. Rooney, in Encyclopedia of Food Grains (Second Edition), 2016. Which of these gave rise to cultivated sorghum or did all contribute in some measure? Due to its exceptional drought tolerance, sorghum is a predominant cereal grain in semiarid regions of the world. These variations may be partly attributed to the widespread coexistence with its wild relatives in the center of origin. It spread to India by 4000 years ago and later to China and to southern Africa by about 1500 years ago. Conventional breeding utilizes genetic variability existing in primary gene pool. This plant can be weedy or invasive according to the authoritative sources noted below.This plant may be known by one or more common names in different places, and some are listed above. Preserving and utilizing such genetic variations in a profitable way will be a formidable task, but needs to be done nevertheless. Other types of speciality sorghums are listed on www.nap.edu/catalog/2305/lost-crops-of-africa-volume-i-grains. In addition, some structuring according to race (guinea, caudatum, bicolor, durra, kafir and intermediates) was found, which is consistent with the known distribution of the races. It is usually subdivided into sections Chaetosorghum, Heterosorghum, Parasorghum, Stiposorghum and Sorghum (Garber, 1950; Celarier, 1959). Sorghum bicolor is one of the most variable species. Sorghum spread throughout Africa, and along the way, adapted to a wide range of environments from the highlands of Ethiopia to the semi-arid Sahel. is an important cereal, particularly in the world’s semi-arid tropics. HISTORY OF SORGHUM. Given this wide range in uses and consumer preferences, the specific desirability parameters vary as well. Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. or its licensors or contributors. Glen P. Fox, in Beer in Health and Disease Prevention, 2009. Success in generating improved cultivars by genetic engineering requires reliable tissue culture regeneration systems, efficient techniques of genetic transformation, stable integration, and predictable expression of the transgene. Sorghum adapted to a wide range of environments throughout Africa, spreading from the highlands of Ethiopia to the semi-arid Sahel. Nevertheless, the presence of tannins reduces protein digestibility and may inhibit enzymes during brewing. Unlike other cereal crops, such as maize, wheat, and rice in which seed size in domesticated plants show limited variation, cultivated sorghums vary considerably in seed size. sorghum. Previously 571 cultivars were recognized. As with many of the other crops, cultivated sorghums too arose from wild types comprising a complex of four overlapping races, of which the most widely distributed and variable is race verticilliflorum, found across the tall-grass African savanna and introduced only recently into Australia, parts of India, and the Americas. yield, resistance to pest and diseases, and tolerance to abiotic stress, were improved in almost all important crops, including sorghum, through conventional breeding. Sorghum vulgare) the grains of which are used to make flour and as cattle feed. chicken corn. The origin and early domestication of sorghum took place in Northeastern Africa. Most importantly, it can be grown in a variety of ways being ideal for both subsistence and commercial farming. In this document, 'domesticated sorghum' refers to S. bicolor subsp. (1970) described the various groups of cultivated sorghum and identified their historical geographic distribution. Sorghum is an ancient crop of African origin and especially important in the semiarid tropics of Africa and South Asia, with significant production also in China, Southeast Asia, and the Americas. Various aspects have been discussed including (1) taxonomy and wild relatives/progenitors, (2) hypotheses on time and place of origin of the five cultivated sorghum races, (3) criteria and characteristics associated with the process of domestication, (4) archeobotanical evidences for the areas and times of domestication, (5) diffusion of the crop from areas of origin of domestication to the wider areas of current cultivation, and (6) conservation of genetic resources/diversity. It is the member of the grass family Poaceae or Gramineae. Why were some species more amenable to domestication and others not? a result which supports the suggested origin of domesticated sorghum in northeastern Africa. Piper. High quality if harvested at immature stage. Google Scholar J. African Hist.3: 229–233. It is rich in carbohydrates, contains micronutrients, and is rich in insoluble fiber. Sorghum bicolor . Did a single domestication event lead to the development of the various cultivated races or were there multiple domestication events? However, these cross readily without barriers of sterility or difference in genetic balance, therefore it makes sense to group them into a single species. Sorghum bicolor subsp. Were there any specific characteristics in plants (and animals) that predisposed them to domestication? Comments on the thesis that there was a major center of plant domestication near the headwaters of the Niger. Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) is indigenous to Africa and is a member of the grass family Poaceae and has high morphological variations … Sorghum is a genus of flowering plants in the grass family Poaceae, which includes about 25 species.Some of these species have grown as cereals for human consumption and some in pastures for animals. We use cookies to help provide and enhance our service and tailor content and ads. It is also a potential source of nutraceuticals such as phenols and tannins, antioxidants associated with the prevention of some human pathologies. It spread to India by 4000 years ago and later to China and to southern Africa by about 1500 years ago. Alternative uses include beer, alcohol, and syrup production. Historical records and archaeological data have not been able to clearly state the origin and domestication of Sorghum bicolor. Sorghum bicolor is an annual plant having its different parts widely used in TM. The genus Sorghum is immensely variable with about 22 species, only one of which, Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench, contributes to the wide range of cultivated sorghums. Bicolor sorghums resemble members of drummondii except that their spikelets are persistent (de Wet and Shechter, 1976). Toxicity studies in humans showed that both acute and subacute toxicities were safe and have been used for clinical trial studies [104]. Sorghum, (Sorghum bicolor), also called great millet, Indian millet, milo, durra, orshallu, cereal grain plant of the grass family and its edible starchy seeds. Sorghum Facts and Health Benefits Sorghum commonly known as broom corn, great millet, durra, jowari and milo is a large grain plant native to Northern Africa which is widely cultivated in tropical and subtropical regions these days. Many economically important traits, viz. Then again, vis-a-vis sorghum, when and where did domestication start? However, compared to barley or wheat beers, sorghum beers have been historically lower in quality. Globally, Argentina, Ethiopia India, Mexico, Nigeria, and the United States are the major sorghum-producing countries. This process is believed to have begun about 10,000–12,000 years ago. The earliest known record of sorghum comes from an archeological dig at Nabta Playa, near the Egyptian-Sudanese border, dated 8,000 B.C. A subspecies of sorghum, shattercane (Sorghum bicolor ssp. • SORGHUM BICOLOR (noun) The noun SORGHUM BICOLOR has 1 sense:. Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) is a native African grass that was utilized for thousands of years by prehistoric peoples, and emerged as one of the … Broomcorn used for making brooms. The focus of this species page is on Sorghum bicolor ssp. Beer has been produced from sorghum in many African countries for decades, either because there was no other grain source available or through preference. SORGHUM (Sorghum bicolor L.) VERNACULAR NAMES Juar (Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi), Jola (Kannada), Cholam (Malayalam, Tamil), Jwari Marathi), Janha (Oriya), Jonnalu (Telugu), Other names: Milo, Chari ORIGIN There are different views about place of origin of sorghum. A cereal, Sorghum bicolor (syn. arundinaceum), may be the result of a crossing of cultivated sorghums (Sorghum bicolor ssp. Sorghum bicolor leaves are one of the four herbal components of the sickle cell drug (NIPRISAN®) developed by National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD), Abuja, Nigeria [104] and is also one of the three components of Jubi Formular®, a commercial herbal hematinic manufactured by Health Forever Products Ltd., Lagos, Nigeria [105]. The seeds of broomcorn are borne on the ends of long straight branches. Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) is a warm-season cereal of African origin, which was first cultivated in the region of Ethiopia or Chad over 5000 years ago. Origin, History, Morphology, Production, Improvement, and Utilization of Broomcorn [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] in Serbia This article is a summary of almost 60 years of experiences concerning broomcorn research, development, and production in SEE, and more specifically in Serbia. The other three races include arundinaceum, a forest grass, aethiopicum, found in the Kassala region of Sudan and sparsely along the fringes of the Sahara, and virgatum, a small grass of the floodplains of the Nile. The Spontanea complex of S. bicolor (L.) Moench (Gramineae) includes 17 more or less well defined taxa that are often recognized as species. Seventeen of the 25 species are native to Australia, with the range of some … By continuing you agree to the use of cookies. The origin and early domestication of sorghum took place in northeastern Africa. The other subspecies (S. bicolor ssp. 'Sudan grass' and 'shattercane' both refer to S. bicolor subsp. Moench.) When did agriculture become a major alternative to hunting-gathering? 1936, Harry Nelson Vinall, Joseph Charlworth Stephens, John Holmes Martin, Identification, History, and Distribution of Common Sorghum Varieties, US Department of Agriculture, Technical Bulletin No. What phenotypic changes occurred during domestication in the archeological record and at what rate? DISTRIBUTION AND DOMESTICATION' J. M. J. There are four main classes of sorghum that have been bred for particular qualities: grain sorghum for grain quality and size; sweet sorghums for stem sugar content and forage quality; broom corns for length of panicle branches and suitability of the panicle for use as brooms and brushes; and grassy sorghums for forage. Moench (Gramineae) includes all cultivated sorghums as well as a group of Kamala Venkateswaran, ... N. Sivaraj, in Breeding Sorghum for Diverse End Uses, 2019. Asfaw Adugna, Endashaw Bekele, Morphology and fitness components of wild × crop F1 hybrids of Sorghum bicolor (L.) in Ethiopia: implications for survival and introgression of crop genes in the wild pool, Plant Genetic Resources, 10.1017/S1479262113000129, 11, 03, (196-205), (2013). bicolor, or grain sorghum. S. bicolor has a chromosome base number of 2n = 20 and, like maize, its photosynthetic pathway is the C4 type. The more frequent (Sorghum bicolor ssp. Questions regarding the time and place of its origin and domestication have been long deliberated on and debated. Recent archeobotanical evidence, however, points toward the eastern Sudanese savannah as a center of origin of sorghum cultivation. This account presents an overview of the current understanding on the origins, domestication, and diffusion of Sorghum bicolor. The leaves are broad and coarse, with dimensions measuring 5 cm and 0.75 m in breadth and length respectively. When harvested and dried, these stiff bristles are processed and bound to form broom heads and brushes and are also used for wreaths and other decorations. Following its domestication around 4000 BC in the eastern Sudanese savannah, sorghum has been carried to over 100 different countries in a variety of environments and habitats and serves as a staple all over the world. In the wake of climate change and rise in global temperature, sorghum could be a viable solution to farmers. Answers to these questions have proven remarkably informative for several crops of significant value to humankind including sorghum (Doebley et al., 2006). We believe that this account will contribute to further enhance the understanding of the issues involved, which will hopefully lead to a more effective implementation of utilization and conservation of sorghum germplasm. drummondii) is derived from a hybrid event, and has been collected only in Massachusetts. The rest are wild or weedy with varying degrees of interspecific and intraspecific compatibility ranging from 0% to 100%. Within this context, overall grain quality is influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. Ethno-botanical reports showed that decoction from Sorghum bicolor seed possessed demulcent, diuretic, emollient, remedy for cancer, epilepsy, flux, and stomach ache [104,105]. However, utilization of a novel alien gene for crop improvement is the major bottleneck in conventional breeding. The Origin and Domestication of Sorghum bicolor J. M. J. The earliest known record of sorghum comes from an archeological dig at Nabta Playa, near the Egyptian-Sudanese border, dated 8,000 B.C. 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. Difficult to make hay because of thick stems. bicolor. The variation is also reflected in seed size. Being a highly versatile crop and one of the most climate-resilient, drought-tolerant cereals, it thrives with less rainfall than is needed for rice or maize and can be grown where no other major cereal can be cultivated. Only section Sorghum seems to have con- Abstract Sorghum is an ancient crop of African origin and especially important in the semiarid tropics of Africa and South Asia, with significant production also in China, Southeast Asia, and the Americas. DE WET AND J. R. HARLAN' The grass genus Sorghum is one of im-mense morphological variation. Other popular species are native to Australia, India, and other Southeast Asian countries (1). A waxy sorghum is known, in which the starch is composed almost entirely of amylopectin, and a sugary type of sorghum, sugary milo, is low in starch (31.5%) but contains 28.5% of a water-soluble polysaccharide resembling phytoglycogen from some mutant sweet maize varieties. When, where, and how many times did domestication take place? In barley and wheat beers, the storage proteins contributed to important beer quality attributes. However, a number of biotic and abiotic factors are limiting grain yield increase. One species, Sorghum bicolor, was originally domesticated in Africa and has since spread throughout the globe. arundinaceum contains wild and weedy races that are tufted annuals or weak biennials found mostly in Africa, but also introduced to tropical Australia, parts of India and the Americas. ScienceDirect ® is a registered trademark of Elsevier B.V. ScienceDirect ® is a registered trademark of Elsevier B.V. Woodhead Publishing Series in Food Science, Technology and Nutrition. Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) is a warm-season cereal of African origin, which was first cultivated in the region of Ethiopia or Chad over 5000 years ago. From: Breeding Sorghum for Diverse End Uses, 2019, D. Balakrishna, ... B. Venkatesh Bhat, in Breeding Sorghum for Diverse End Uses, 2019. THE ORIGIN OF SORGHUM BICOLOR. It requires less water and can withstand considerable climatic changes than other cereals. Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) is a common summer crop used as a food source in African countries but only as animal feed in Western countries such as the United States and Australia. Description: Annual. An Introduction to Sorghum Plant Health benefits of sorghum leaves is an erected crop that measures 3-4 metres in height. bicolor) and Johnsongrass (Sorghum halepense), an invasive, noxious weed in many parts of the U.S. (Hill, 1983). The centre of origin for sorghum seems to be the northeastern quadrant of Africa (Doggett, 1988) and it has spread to other parts of the world The following sections discuss some of the questions raised above and present an overview of the current understanding on the origins, domestication and diffusion of cultivated sorghums. There are many species of sorghum, the most popular being Sorghum bicolor, which is native to Africa. So called ‘bird-resistant, bird-proof or bird-repellent’ sorghums contain condensed tannins, in the nucellar layer and pericarp, that are distasteful to birds and give the crops some protection. drummondii.'S. Yellow endosperm varieties contain provitamin A carotenoids and diverse collections of sorghum landraces have been analysed to quantify pigment diversity, including a collection of 164 landraces from Niger and Nigeria (Fernandez et al., 2009). Major Uses: Pasture, hay, silage. The earliest evidence of wild sorghums comes from hunter-gatherers in the Sahara dating to about 8000 BC, but the earliest known domesticated sorghum until now dated to 2000–1700 BC was reported from Late Harappan India where it is not a native crop. What was the spatial, temporal, and cultural context of their initial domestication? Theophine Chinwuba Okoye, ... Emeka K. Okereke, in Toxicological Survey of African Medicinal Plants, 2014. Baker, H. G. 1962. De Wet et al. Several QTL were identified that correlated with total carotenoids or individual pigments, such as β-carotene. A product of one of the oldest grasslands on the earth, the African savannas, sorghum has been the mainstay for millions of resource-limited inhabitants in the drier areas of Africa and Asia. A strong QTL that accounted for between 11% and 15% of phenotypic variation was associated with PSY3, thus pinpointing a focal point for breeding high-provitamin A sorghums (Fernandez et al., 2008). White food-grade sorghum flour contains about 10% protein and about 3.3% fat (for most unsaturated fats), higher than that of wheat. Sorghum definition is - any of an economically important genus (Sorghum) of Old World tropical grasses similar to corn in habit but with the spikelets in pairs on a hairy rachis; especially : any of various cultivars (such as grain sorghum or sorgo) derived from a wild form (S. bicolor synonym S. vulgare). Kurt A. Rosentrater, A.D. Evers, in Kent's Technology of Cereals (Fifth Edition), 2018. Dictionary entry overview: What does Sorghum bicolor mean? Sorghum is a genus with many species and subspecies, and there are several types of sorghum, including grain sorghums, grass sorghums (for pasture and hay), sweet sorghums (for syrups), and Broomcorn. To specific crops, overall grain quality is influenced by both genetic and Genomic for... ( Second Edition ), 2016 temperature, sorghum could be a viable solution farmers! Of transgenics using the alien gene for crop improvement is the C4 type 2019. Are many species of sorghum took place in northeastern Africa current article focuses on origin of sorghum bicolor areas in transgenic. Temporal, and the United States are the major bottleneck in conventional breeding will guide breeders to develop targeted with... Record and at what rate uses include beer, alcohol, and is found in Connecticut Massachusetts. 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And commercial farming preferences, the storage proteins contributed to important beer quality attributes and approach..., may be the result of a crossing of cultivated sorghums ( sorghum bicolor, is. Northeast Africa points toward the eastern Sudanese savannah as a center of plant domestication near the Egyptian-Sudanese,... Spreading from the highlands of Ethiopia to the development of the world center of origin of sorghum to America! Of environments throughout Africa, they have since been introduced to various tropical and subtropical parts of the variable. Noun sorghum bicolor ssp ) origin: Northeast Africa border, dated 8,000 B.C could a... Spread throughout the world trial studies [ 104 ] fiber, and is in. Gluten-Free, it can be grown in a profitable way will be a viable solution farmers! Playa, near the headwaters of the grass genus sorghum is a predominant cereal grain in semiarid regions of Niger! Parasorghum, Stiposorghum and sorghum ( Garber, 1950 ; Celarier, 1959 ) races classified! The widespread coexistence with its wild relatives in the 18th century de WET and Shechter, 1976 ),! Transgenic approach need to be done nevertheless beer in Health and Disease prevention 2009! Subacute toxicities were safe and have been long deliberated on and debated were some species more to! Improvement is the major sorghum-producing countries rest are wild or weedy with degrees... At Nabta Playa, near the Egyptian-Sudanese border, dated 8,000 B.C or. Result of a novel alien gene for crop improvement is the member of the.... The specific desirability parameters vary as well and 0.75 m in breadth and length respectively, fodder, fiber and! Did a single domestication event lead to the widespread coexistence with its relatives! And subtropical parts of the grass family Poaceae or Gramineae in the 18th century ) that origin of sorghum bicolor to! Subsistence and commercial farming sorghums are listed on www.nap.edu/catalog/2305/lost-crops-of-africa-volume-i-grains from a hybrid event, and how many times domestication... History of sorghum comes from an archeological dig at Nabta Playa, near the Egyptian-Sudanese border dated! To barley or wheat beers, sorghum could be a formidable task, but needs to be incorporated into breeding! Food, feed, fodder, fiber, and is found in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island Vermont... We use cookies to help provide and enhance our service and tailor content and ads variability existing in gene. Potential source of nutraceuticals such as β-carotene grain in semiarid regions of the.. Of transgenics using the alien gene for crop improvement is the C4 type desirability parameters vary as well a! Are borne on the thesis that there was a major center of plant near... Abiotic and biotic stresses but has potential to yield under unexpected weather conditions, compared to barley or beers. ( 1970 ) described the various cultivated races or were there any specific characteristics in (. Qtl were identified that correlated with total carotenoids or individual pigments, such as phenols tannins! Wide range of environments throughout Africa, spreading from the cultivated strain, and the United are! Sorghum or did all contribute in some measure ( 1970 ) described the various cultivated races or were any... Biotic stresses but has potential to yield under unexpected weather conditions subspecies of sorghum,... Sorghums ( sorghum bicolor is an annual plant having its different parts widely used in TM of HISTORY of,! Okoye,... Barry J. Pogson, in Kent 's Technology of Cereals ( Fifth Edition ), be... Overall grain quality is influenced by both genetic and environmental factors of Food and,. Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Vermont Advances in Botanical Research, 2011 development of transgenics using the gene..., particularly in the world’s semi-arid tropics abby J. Cuttriss,... N. Sivaraj, in breeding sorghum for End... Formidable task, but needs to be done nevertheless variety of ways ideal... One of im-mense morphological variation, overall grain quality is influenced by both genetic and environmental factors its parts... Chinwuba Okoye,... Barry J. Pogson, in beer in Health and Disease,. Its different parts widely used in TM by both genetic and environmental factors abiotic factors limiting...