Sorghum

Sorghum (Sorghum vulgare; Ukrainian: sorho). A strong and hardy cereal grass of the family Gramineae (Poaceae), raised chiefly for grain. The species includes the grain sorghums—durra, milo, and millet—as well as broom corn and Sudan grass (S. sudanense; Ukrainian: sudanska trava), grown for hay and fodder. Introduced in Ukraine in 1912, sorghum is raised primarily in southern areas. The grain is rich in carbohydrates (12–18 percent sugars) and proteins (10 percent); it also contains calcium, iron, vitamin B, and nicotinic acid. It is usually ground into a meal used in porridge, flatbreads, and cakes; it is also used in making edible oil, starch, dextrose, and alcoholic beverages. Sweet sorghums, or sorgos, are used for syrup manufacture (see Starch-and-syrup industry).

[This article originally appeared in the Encyclopedia of Ukraine, vol. 5 (1993).]