Sorghum ranks as the fifth largest grain crop globally, and it has similar levels of crude protein and leucine compared to corn, making it a viable substitute for full or partial corn in pig diets. Sorghum is produced around the world like corn, which is the energy source in pig diets. However, sorghum contains antinutritional factors that adversely affect nutrient absorption, energy, and amino acid availability. Additionally, the low content of essential amino acids, such as lysine (Lys) and methionine (Met), limits its feeding value. Consequently, this paper primarily discusses the antinutritional factors present in sorghum and elaborates on methods to enhance the nutritional value of forage sorghum through processes such as crushing, extrusion, and enzymatic hydrolysis. The nutritional value of sorghum could be improved by adding protease, by extrusion, and by reducing the grain size. Furthermore, this paper summarizes the application of sorghum in pig production to enhance the understanding of forage sorghum among feed enterprises and to provide a theoretical reference for the rational formulation of pig diets.

Abstract Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) is an important food and feed crop. Root-lesion nematodes (Pratylenchus spp.) are a group of pathogenic nematodes that cause severe economic losses in various food and cash crops. This study identified diseased sorghum plants with stunted growth and brown, rotting roots in sorghum fields in Shanxi Province, China. A species of root-lesion nematode was isolated by modified Baermann funnel method and named the GL-1 population. Afterward, the GL-1 population of root-lesion nematodes was identified as P. coffeae through a combination of morphological, rDNA-ITS and rDNA-28 S D2-D3 region techniques for molecular biological identification. We also conducted greenhouse experiments to assess the parasitism and pathogenicity of GL-1 and four other P. coffeae populations on sorghum through pot inoculation. At 60 days after inoculation, the results indicated that all five populations of P. coffeae were capable of infecting and causing damage to the sorghum plants. Sorghum is a suitable host for P. coffeae (with a reproduction factor > 1). Moreover, compared with those in the control group, the aboveground fresh weights and root fresh weights of sorghum in the five inoculation groups were significantly lower, and brown spots or even necrotic rot appeared on the roots. All five populations were highly pathogenic to sorghum, but there were significant differences in pathogenicity among the populations. This study provides a scientific basis for identifying and detecting root-lesion nematodes in sorghum.

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) is one of the most significant yet underutilized staple crops in the world. It contains high levels of dietary fiber, resistant starch and essential health-beneficial bioactive compounds, including phenolics, vitamins and minerals, making it a valuable component of a balanced diet. The bioactive profiles of sorghum are exceptionally unique, more abundant and more diverse than those of other common cereal grains. Sorghum contains phenolic acids, condensed tannins and 3-deoxyanthocyanidins as its primary phenolic constituents. Consumption of sorghum whole grain may enhance gut health and lower the risk of chronic illnesses, as studies have demonstrated the strong antioxidant activity of sorghum’s phenolic components in vitro. Additionally, condensed tannins, 3-deoxyanthocyanidins and phenolic compounds are essential contributors to its health benefits. Recently, sorghum grain has been increasingly used to develop functional foods and beverages, as well as an ingredient in other food products. The objective of this review is to provide a comprehensive understanding of the nutritional composition and functional properties of sorghum, along with its related health benefits, to improve health outcomes and overall well-being.

his study aimed to evaluate different forage sorghum genotypes and their associated biomass, with or without bacterial-enzyme inoculant, in terms of agronomic traits and silage nutritional value in a semi-arid region. In Experiment I, we assessed six sorghum genotypes: a control (forage sorghum), a commercial sorghum (AGRI002E), and four experimental sorghums (BRS 716 202033B008 202033B011, and CMSXS7500). The experiment followed a randomized block design with six genotypes and three replications in the field. In Experiment II, we evaluated the silage produced from the six sorghum genotypes used in Experiment I. This experiment followed an entirely randomized design in a 6 × 2 factorial scheme, with six sorghum genotypes and the absence or presence of enzymatic-bacterial inoculant application, with six replications. Experiment I showed that dry matter productions of the genotypes BRS 716 and AGRI002E were 42.93% higher than that of the other genotypes, averaging 15.95 t ha−1 of dry matter. In Experiment II, silage temperatures showed increases during aerobic exposure. However, no interaction was seen between sorghum genotype and inoculant presence on silage pH values (P > 0.05) and effluent losses. The sorghum hybrids BRS 716 and AGRI002E showed the best response in terms of silage yield and nutritional value.

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) is an important food, feed, and fodder crop worldwide and is gaining popularity as an energy crop due to its high potential for biomass production. Some sorghum accessions develop many aerial roots and produce an abundant carbohydrate-rich mucilage after rain. This aerial root mucilage is similar to that observed in landraces of maize (Zea mays) from southern Mexico, which have been previously shown to host diazotrophs. In this study, we characterized the aerial root development of several sorghum accessions and the impact of humidity on this trait. We conducted a microbiome study of the aerial root mucilage of maize and sorghum and isolated numerous diazotrophs from field sorghum mucilage. We observed that the prevailing phyla in the mucilage were Pseudomonadota, Bacteroidota, and Bacillota. However, bacterial abundances varied based on the genotype and the location. Using acetylene reduction, 15N2 gas feeding, and 15N isotope dilution assays, we confirmed that these sorghum accessions can acquire about 40% of their nitrogen from the atmosphere through these associations on aerial roots. Nitrogen fixation in sorghum aerial root mucilage offers a promising avenue to reduce reliance on synthetic fertilizers and promote sustainable agricultural practices for food, feed, fodder, and bioenergy production

Ozone (O3), a major air pollutant, can negatively impact plant growth and yield. While O3 impacts have been widely documented in crops such as wheat and soybean, few studies have looked at the effects of O3 on sorghum, a C4 plant and the fifth most important cereal crop worldwide. We exposed grain sorghum (Sorghum bicolor cv. HAT150843) to a range of O3 concentrations (daytime mean O3 concentrations ranged between 20 and 97 ppb) in open-top chambers, and examined how whole plant and leaf morphological traits varied in response to O3 exposure. Results showed no significant impact of realistic O3 exposure on whole plant biomass and its partitioning in sorghum. These findings suggest that sorghum is generally resistant to O3 and should be considered as a favourable crop in O3 polluted regions, while acknowledging further research is needed to understand the mechanistic basis of O3 tolerance in sorghum.

Abstract Pigments are widely valued as colorants or bioactive agents in food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic sectors. The increasing attention on the natural pigments can be associated with the availability, dietary, low-cost, bioactivity and safety. Sorghum bicolor is a common plant crop with many health benefits commonly. 3-deoxyanthocyanidin derivatives are the predominant anthocyanidins in the leaf sheaths of red sorghum. In this review, the phytochemical and nutritional properties of the leaf sheaths of red sorghum and the stability of the main pigments are discussed. In addition, the taxonomical and geographic distribution and traditional uses of the red sorghum are discussed. Anthocyanidins (luteolinidin, apigeninidin, apigeninidin-flavene dimer, apigeninidin-7-o-methylflavene dimer and 7-o-methylapigeninidin) as well as other flavonoids, phenolic acids, alkaloids, saponins, steroids and tannins have been reported as dominant phytochemicals in the leaf sheaths of red sorghum. They are rich source of micronutrients like essential vitamins and minerals. These properties attract populations to use the leaf sheaths of red sorghum for diverse purposes. It is also resulted that 3-deoxyanthocyanidins in the leaf sheaths of red sorghum are resistant to pH, temperature, light and copigments.

Abstract Sorghum bicolor (L.) is a plant species that has staple and medicinal potential and is common in tropical regions, including Southeast Asia regions. Despite sorghum being used widely, the information about potential distributions of sorghum in various ecoregions in Indonesia is still limited. Indonesia is a vast country with distinct ecoregions, with wet ecoregions in western parts of Indonesia and arid environments in eastern parts. The information on sorghum potential distribution in various ecoregions is important, and in this situation, this study aimed to model the sorghum potential distribution in various ecoregions using MaxEnt based machine learning. The total area of Indonesia that is suitable for sorghum is estimated to be 68,527,000 ha, or 28.17% of Indonesia’s areas. Among all ecoregions in Indonesia, Sulawesi and Lesser Sunda, representing dry ecoregions, are having the largest suitable areas. The Lesser Sunda and Sulawesi ecoregions have the highest suitable percentages of 44.76% for Lesser Sunda and 21.53% for Sulawesi ecoregions. The lowest percentages were observed in the Sumatra, Kalimantan, and Papua ecoregions, representing wet ecoregions. This confirms that sorghum prefers the dry ecoregions, as high percentages of suitable areas are observed in these kinds of ecoregions.

The quality of brewing grain is an important guarantee for the flavor and quality safety of brewing liquor. In the process of fermentation, the cyanogen in sorghum grains was decomposed to produce cyanide, which further reacted to produce carcinogen ethyl urethane, which directly affected the safety of liquor brewing. In this study, 173 samples (involving 129 varieties) were collected from 9 major sorghum producing provinces, including Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang, Henan, Sichuan, Guizhou and Shaanxi. The difference of dhurrin content in different varieties of sorghum was analyzed and compared in this study. The results showed that dhurrin was widely present in sorghum, and its content varied greatly among different varieties. Aoza, Heza 158, and Jinza 5 had higher dhurrin content, with the content ranging from 30.26 to 136.7 mg/kg. Hongyingzi, Xiaobailiang, Jipin 12, Langnuohong 19 and Xincang 8 had lower dhurrin content, with all the content less than 1 mg/kg, which were more suitable as raw materials for brewing sorghum. The average content of dhurrin in non-glutinous sorghum was generally higher than that in glutinous sorghum, and the average content of dhurrin in northeast and centra was significantly higher than that in southwest. This study compared and analysed the content difference of dhurrin in different sorghum varieties, in order to provide reference for liquor production enterprises to explore quality raw material source and improve product quality and safety from the perspective of raw material control.

Abstract Background Sweet sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) is a popular forage crop in arid and semi-arid areas due to its high drought tolerance, rapid growth, and low production costs. In addition, sweet sorghum, has relatively specific ensiling characteristics because of its high moisture content and sufficient amount of water soluble carbohydrates. Therefore, it is crucial to investigate the raw material characteristics and exogenous additive pretreatment for the regulation of silage quality. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of Lactobacillus plantarum (LP) and cellulase (CEL) on the fermentation profile, carbohydrate composition, in vitro rumen fermentation and microbiota communities of sweet sorghum silages with two different raw material characteristics (fresh sweet sorghum material (MC1); sweet sorghum material wilted outdoors for 6 h after chopping (MC2)). Results In this study, the sweet sorghum treatments were: control (without additives), LP, CEL, or a combination of LP and CEL (LP_CEL). All treated sweet sorghum samples were ensiled for 30 d. A higher content of lactic acid, propionic acid, D-fructose, glucose, sucrose and a lower content of structural carbohydrates were observed in MC1 silage than in MC2 silage. In MC2 silage, the addition of CEL or LP_CEL decreased the content of structural carbohydrates, while it increased the content of D-fructose, glucose, D-arabinose, xylitol, maltose and trehalose (P < 0.05). The in vitro gas production at 48 h was greater in MC1 silage than in MC2 silage, and the addition of CEL or LP_CEL increased the in vitro dry matter digestibility in MC2 silage (P < 0.05). After 30 d of ensiling, disaccharides such as sucrose, maltose and alginate were almost entirely utilized by the microorganisms, while more-consumed monosaccharides included D-fructose, glucose and L-rhamnose. Lactobacillus was the dominant genus (> 80% relative abundance) in all silage samples. Conclusions Raw material characteristics determine carbohydrate composition, in vitro digestibility, and microbial community of sweet sorghum silage. For wilted sweet sorghum with relatively low moisture content, pretreatment with CEL or LP_CEL reduced the structural carbohydrate content, increased the nonstructural carbohydrate content, and improved the digestibility of the silage. However, additives had no obvious impact on enhancing the fermentation quality of sweet sorghum silage for two raw material characteristics. Graphical abstract