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This is an archive article published on September 24, 2004

Buzz around sweet sorghum

Now there is another incentive to grow more sorghum. In an effort to boost production of the grain, the Indian Council of Agricultural Resea...

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Now there is another incentive to grow more sorghum. In an effort to boost production of the grain, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research Research ICAR has proposed to release a new variety of sorghum by end of the year. Christened NSSH104, it is expected to yield 15 per cent more than the existing hybrids SSV84 and Madhuri. This was announced by S L Mehta, national director for National Agricultural Technology Project NATP.

According to Mehta, the new variety can yield about 27 tonne per acre compared with the 20 tonne per acre yield of the existing varieties. Sweet sorghum varieties and hybrids bred under the national programme have the capability of producing high biomass 8212; upto 45-50 tonne per hectare 8212; and a grain yield of l.5-2.5 tonne per hectare.

Sweet sorghum can be cultivated more widely through contract farming. Higher sorghum production can help revive sugar units; it can also be used for ethanol production with cost comparable to ethanol produced from molasses. 8216;8216;For 50 litre of alcohol produced from every tonne of sweet sorghum, the costs would be about Rs 13.45 per litre, compared with Rs 15/litre for production from molasses. An income of Rs 7,000 could be easily generated per acre, similar to the farmer8217;s earnings from paddy,8217;8217; says Mehta.

ICAR, along with state agricultural universities, has said it is ready to provide high quality seed material for mass cultivation if prior demands are made. The research institute has also decided to standardise the technological process through R038;D for improving the ethanol in sweet sorghum.

8212; Agencies

 

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