Sorghum is a high-yield and drought-resistant crop, widely cultivated around the world and successfully grown in various regions of Ukraine, including southern, central, northern, and western areas. Thanks to its powerful fibrous root system, capable of penetrating soil to a depth of two meters, sorghum effectively absorbs water and oxygen, enabling it to grow on diverse soil types, including saline and salt-affected soils unsuitable for many other crops. Sorghum seeds are small and require a germination temperature not lower than 12 °C, so optimal planting times fall in the second decade of April to early May, with a planting depth of 2–4 cm. Sowing rates vary depending on planting schemes and range from 12 to 21 kg/ha. When selecting a variety, it is important to consider the maturity group to ensure flowering in July and ripening by mid-October, especially in drought-prone areas, early-maturing varieties are preferred. Sorghum exhibits high heat tolerance, continuing growth at temperatures up to 37 °C, and requires half the water compared to other cereal crops, making it advantageous for cultivation under limited moisture conditions.
One popular grain sorghum variety is Dniprovskiy 39 — an early-maturing variety registered in Ukraine’s State Register since 2000. The seeds of this variety are light brown, containing 13.4% protein, 75.8% starch, and 3.3% lysine, making it valuable for food use. The yield of this variety reaches 6.5–7.0 tons per hectare, and it also demonstrates high resistance to lodging, drought, and shattering, ensuring stable production even under challenging climatic conditions.
For fodder and alternative energy purposes, silage sorghum is used, for example, hybrid 400Х36 — a sugar sorghum with high potential yield of 100–120 tons per hectare. This hybrid possesses the SMR genome, providing low lignin content, which improves feed quality. The plant is resistant to abnormal drought and several diseases, including mold, helminthosporiosis, and fusarium. Plant height reaches 250–310 cm, and the recommended planting density at harvest is 170–200 thousand plants per hectare. Due to its agronomic characteristics, such as intense early growth and stress tolerance, this hybrid is widely used both in monocultures and mixed plantings.
