How Does sweet sorghum seed for sale Work?

Sweet Sorghum is a variety of sorghum whose sap is high in sugar content.  It is relatively drought tolerant, has a high forage and ethanol yield per acre, has a relatively low cost of production, is adaptable to no-till, has a co-product called bagasse that could be used for animal feed, and the crop itself could be used for silage if needed. It is also a late-planted crop that fits well into cover cropping systems. Yields of 25 tons (fresh weight) are possible with juice yields of - gallons per acre possible.

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Planting

• Planting should be delayed until soil temperatures reach 65°F at the 2- to 4-inch depth. This usually occurs in mid to late May.
• Sorghum is often planted in 30-inch rows but could be planted in 15- or 20-inch rows to maximize production potential.
• Seeding rates range from about 60,000 to 80,000 seeds per acre. This is about 3-4 seeds per foot of row in 30-inch rows and translates into about 5 pounds of seed per acre.
• Planting depth is 0.75 to 1.25 inches.
• Sorghum is well adapted to no-till planting.

Soil Fertility

• The nitrogen requirement is likely in the range of 100 to 120 pounds per acre. We have recommended higher rates of N for forage sorghum production in the past, similar to corn silage production, but these could result in more lodging and lower sugar levels.
• P and K requirements are modest and probably depend on whether the bagasse is removed from the site. If that is the case, then The nutrient recommendation for a soil testing in the optimum range for P and K is 120 pounds of N, 65 pounds of P2O5, and 120 pounds of K2O for a crop with a 21-ton per acre yield potential.
• Soil pH should be near 6.0

Crop Rotation

• Sorghums are very flexible and can be planted after many crops. They are tolerant of atrazine so following corn is not an issue.
• The later planting of sorghum makes it possible to harvest a hay or small grain crop prior to planting.

Weed Control

• Fewer herbicides are available for forage sorghum compared to corn, so control of some problem weeds may be a bit more challenging without tillage.
• Sorghum seed treated with CONCEP® II seed safener allows the grass herbicide Dual to be applied without injuring the crop.
• Specific herbicide recommendations are updated annually in the Penn State Agronomy Guide.
• A good sorghum crop can function as a smother crop-reducing weed pressure in subsequent crops.

Pest Management

• Sorghum has few insect pests in Pennsylvania. Occasionally, fall armyworm damage may be observed.
• Sorghum is not a host for western corn rootworm, hence corn can follow sorghum with no risk of rootworm.
• Some foliar diseases can appear on sorghum. Anthracnose is a foliar disease that can appear on leaves and stalks.
• Sorghum is less preferred by groundhogs and deer than other crops like corn, soybeans, sunflowers, or canola.

Harvesting

• Traditionally sweet sorghum was harvested by hand and fed through a press to extract juice.
• Mechanized systems are being developed that are similar to silage chopping and hauling the material to plant for processing.
• Others are considering on-site processing to extract and store juice.
• Harvesting occurs near the soft dough stage often 120 days or so after planting. A Brix meter can be used to assess the sugar content at harvest.
• Stalks, leaves, and grain left after processing could be used for pelletizing for energy, digested for energy, or ensiled into a feedstuff.
• One issue with sorghum is that the material needs to be processed soon after harvest unlike other graincrops used for biofuel.

Prepared by Greg Roth, Professor of Agronomy, Penn State

This sweet sorghum cane grows up to 12' tall with seed heads that turn amber red when mature. Thick, juicy stalks make for mighty fine sorghum syrup once squeezed and boiled down over a wood fire. Thrives in the heat. Drought tolerant. This is a relatively early-maturing variety that can often be helpful in beating the sugarcane aphid that tends to arrive later in the season.

This crop, originally from Africa, has a deep history in Southern Appalachia as a self-sufficient sweetener as well as a multipurpose, low maintenance, and high yielding plant that grew well with the animal-powered holler farming typical of the area. The cane is great for making wood-fired sorghum syrup, which has many delicious culinary applications including stack cakes and molasses cookies, but I most enjoy it atop a warm and buttered slice of cornbread. The seed heads can be used as a gluten-free grain for humans (I'm furthering my experiments with milling it this winter!) The leaves, stripped prior to juicing the cane, as well as the seed heads also make great fodder for animals.

Days to maturity: 120-140

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Seeds per normal packet: 475-500
Seeds per bulk packet: approx. (2 oz)

Germination rate: 95% on 11/19/

Planting / harvesting notes

Needs full sun and thrives in warm climates. Direct seed 1/4" into well-drained soil once the danger of frost has passed. Chelsea Askew has seeded this several ways: by hand; using an Earthway seeder with a spinach plate; and using a tractor mounted Covington single-row planter with a sorghum plate. All methods require thinning. Thin to 8"-12" in row. Best to harvest cane for molasses when seed head has turned from the milk stage to soft dough and the external color from green to an amber red.

Seed keeping notes

While sorghum is generally self pollinating, people concerned with unwanted cross pollination should isolate various varieties of S. bicolor (including Johnson grass) by 990 feet. Alternatively, you can plant your different sorghums closer together and bag the plants' tassels when they emerge with weather resistant corn tassel bags, or with paper bags in drier climates. Allowing the seed heads to reach the hard dough stage is best when harvesting for seed.

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This product is part of the African Diaspora Collection.