A head of sorghum

If grain sorghum is an important crop where you work, there are some great options for doing variety trials on your project site or by farmers in their own fields, guaranteed to generate a lot of interest (see the story in EDN 95 of a sorghum variety trial ECHO planted to show farmers in Haiti). There are striking differences among sorghum varieties. Heights range from 3 to 9 feet (1 to 3 m). You may be able to harvest the short varieties before the taller ones even begin to bloom (there might even be enough time for two crops). Birds can easily eat grains from the open heads, but there are varieties with some resistance. However, the nutritional value of most bird-resistant varieties is inferior. Varieties can differ greatly in the shape of the head and color of the grain. Giza 114 produces grain but the stalks are of almost equal value in Egypt for cooking fuel. As mentioned above, special varieties are resistant to striga, a terrible parasitic weed in Africa. The best brooms are made from the long fibrous seed panicles of "broom corn," which is actually a sorghum.