Sorghum popularly known as jowar, is the most important food and fodder crop of dryland agriculture. In India, sorghum grain is eaten by human either by breaking the grain and cooking it in the same way as rice or by grinding it into flour and preparing ‘chapatis’. To some extent it is also eaten as parched and popped grain. This grain is also fed to cattle, poultry and swine. Sorghum grain contains about 10-12 per cent protein, 3 per cent fat and 70 per cent carbohydrates; therefore, it can satisfactorily replace other grains in the feeding programme for dairy cattle, poultry and swine. Its industrial use has tremendous scope.   Area of Cultivation Cultivation of jowar is mainly concentrated in peninsular and central India. Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh (the Bundelkhand region) and Tamil Nadu are the major jowar-growing states. Other states grow sorghum in small areas primarily for fodder.

Sorghum can be grown under a wide range of climatic conditions although ideally it requires warm climate. It is grown from sea level to as high as 1500 metres. Sorghum plants can tolerate high temperatures throughout their life cycle better than any other cereal crop. It can tolerate drought conditions very well because it remains dormant during moisture stress conditions but resumes growth when favourable conditions reappear. It has a high resistance to desiccation, low transpiration ratio and a large number of fibrous roots. It can also tolerate water logging conditions better than any other cereal except rice. Therefore, sorghum can be grown successfully in areas having an average annual rainfall between 60 and 100 cm.It is grown as a Kharif crop in northern India. In western and southern parts of the country it is grown also as a Rabi crop. The minimum temperature for the germination of sorghum seeds is 7-10 Degree Celsius. It needs about 26-30 Degree Celsius temperature for its optimum growth. Sorghum is a short day plant. Flowering is hastened by short days and delayed by long days. The time of heading in sorghum is influenced by temperature as well as photo-period. Sorghum varieties vary in their sensitivity to both temperature and photo-period.

Sorghum is grown in a variety of soils in India. Soils with clay loam or loam texture, having good water retention capacity are best suited for sorghum cultivation. It does not thrive in sandy soils but does better on heavier soils. It does well in pH range of 6.0-8.5 as it tolerates considerable salinity and alkalinity. The black cotton soils of Central India are very good for its cultivation.

Sorghum seed should be drilled in a well prepared seedbed free from weeds. The first ploughing should be done with soil turning plough so that 20-25 centimetre deep soil may become loose. It should be followed by two to three harrowings or three to four intercrossing ploughings with country plough. Thereafter planking should be done to break the clods and to level the field. In black cotton soil area, if the land is badly infested with weeds, ploughing followed by harrowings is usually practiced, but where land is free from weeds or with few weeds, the land is cultivated only with bakhar (blande harrow).The seed should be purchased from a reliable source. It is advisable to always use certified seed. If seed is not already treated, it should be treated with Thiram or Agro-san G. N. at the rate of 3 g per kg seed. In case of hybrids new hybrid seeds should be used every year.

12-15 kg seed per hectare is considered sufficient to ensure a good stand. There should be 1,50,000 plants per hectare to attain maximum yield. The seed should be sown in rows 45 centimetre apart. Plant to plant distance should be 12 centimetre. Seed should be sown at a depth of 3-4 centimetre. It should not be sown more than 5 centimetre deep in any case.In Northern India sorghum is sown either by broadcasting or in rows behind the plough. Seeds of new hybrids and varieties should always be sown in lines for obtaining higher yield. Sowing in rows is common in black cotton soil.In northern India sorghum is sown only in Kharif season. In irrigated areas, first week of July has been found most suitable for sowing of most hybrids, and improved varieties. Under un-irrigated conditions, sowing should be done preferably within one week of the onset of first monsoon showers. Timely planted crop escapes the damages due to shoot fly and midge. Late planting may not fit well in multiple rotations.Rabi sowing is done mainly in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. Rabi sowing should be done from the second fortnight of September to the middle of October.Summer crop of sorghum is sown in the month of January and February in irrigated areas of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and some areas of Karnataka.

As sorghum removes nutrients in heavy amount from the soil it requires heavy doses of fertilizers. Manure and fertilizers both play important roles in the sorghum cultivation. In the rainfed areas, application of farm yard manure or compost at the rate of 10 to 15 tonnes per hectare improves the water holding capacity and microbial activities in the soil, besides providing essential nutrients to the crop. Farm yard manure or compost should be added in the field at the time of last ploughing.The quantity of fertilizers to be applied varies according to the fertility status of the soil. However, when soil tests data are not available, apply 100-120 kg nitrogen, 50 kg P₂O₅ and 40 kg K₂O per hectare for hybrids and improved varieties of sorghum under irrigated condition. Half dose of nitrogen and total amount of phosphorus and potash should be applied at the time of sowing. The basal dressing can be done with the help of fertilizer-cum-seed drill. The fertilizer should be placed 3-5 centimetre to the side and 3-5 centimetre below the seed. If ferti-seed drill is not available fertilizer mixture may be spread uniformly in the field and mixed thoroughly in the soil with the help of a harrow or cultivator.The remaining half quantity of nitrogen should be top dressed after 30-35 days of sowing. In light soils top dressing should be done in two splits. Half of the above dose should be applied in case of local varieties for better results. In case of rainfed crop, quantity of fertilizer should be reduced to half of the irrigated and the entire quantity should be applied 10 cm deep in soil at the time of sowing.

In sorghum cultivation, thinning is a very important operation for maintaining desired plant populations. 12-15 centimetre plant to plant spacing in a row by thinning out extra plants at two stages should be ensured. First, thinning should be done 10-15 days after emergence and second, when crop is 20-25 days old. All disease and insect infested plants should be removed while thinning.

Usually, sorghum is grown as a rainfed crop. The irrigation should, however, be provided whenever, rains are not received. At the time of flowering and grain filling stages, the crop requires more water. If enough moisture is not there in the soil at the time of flowering and grain filling, it should be irrigated at once. At no stage, the plants should be allowed to wilt. Suitable drainage conditions should be provided for the removal of excess rain water from the field.

Most of the high yielding sorghum hybrids and varieties take about 100-115 days to mature. The crop should be harvested immediately after it is mature. The right stage for harvest is when grains have become hard having less than 25 per cent moisture. It is advised not to wait for stalks and leaves to dry because plants of hybrid sorghum appear green even after the crop is mature. Harvesting is done by cutting the entire plant or removing the earheads first and cutting down the plants later on. In the areas where there is danger of rain at the time of harvesting, the mature earheads should be harvested first and plants cut and heaped later on.Threshing is done with the help of threshers or by beating the earheads with sticks or by trampling bullocks. The threshed grain should be cleaned and dried in sun for about a week to bring the moisture content down to 13-15 per cent for safe storage.