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Cultivation
Sorghum is also successfully cultivated in Europe: The most important producer in terms of cultivated area is France, followed by Italy, Spain and some south-eastern European countries with cultivation areas of several thousand hectares.

Sorghum can grow on a wide range of soils, such as heavy clay to sandy soils with the pH tolerance ranging from 5.0 to 8.5. . It requires an arable field that has been left fallow for at least two years or where crop rotation with legumes has taken place in the previous year. . Diversified 2- or 4-year crop rotation can improve sorghum yield, additionally making it more resilient to inconsistent growth conditions. In terms of nutrient requirements, sorghum is comparable to other cereal grain crops with nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium required for growth.

Cultivation difficulties

The successful regulation of weeds is a big challenge in the cultivation of sorghum due to its slow juvenile growth. Control can be executed mechanically but needs to be done with caution as sorghum has a fine and shallow root system.

Harvest and processing

Harvest is done mostly by hand in developing countries. The panicle containing the grains are cut from the stalk when appropriate moisture content of 16-20 % is reached. Threshing can then be done either manually or mechanically. Before storing the seeds, they need to reach a moisture content of only 10 %, as higher moisture content contributes to the growth of mould as well as to the germination of the seeds.