ECONOMIC SELF DETERMINATION AND Sorghum FARMING
Sorghum is a group of small seeds, a type of grain crop or cereal, which is scientifically known as (Sorghum bicolor). It is a crop that is widely cultivated around the world for food and nutrition. Sorghum produces many crops even in conditions that are not suitable for agriculture. other types of grain crops. Sorghum is highly drought tolerant.
Millet can be boiled and eaten as it is, ground and used for porridge, making beverages such as beer, baking bread, and other types of snacks. The sorghum plant is also used for livestock feed such as hay and silage. Sorghum grows well in an environment with an average of 400 - 700 millimeters of rain per year. Sorghum also tolerates areas that move water, and can be cultivated in areas with a lot of rain.
Sorghum is also suitable for dry areas with average temperatures as low as 18°C, to be able to germinate well, and as much as 25-30°C to grow well. Millet cannot tolerate frost. Sorghum can grow on all types of soil. It is mostly suitable for clay soils, but also for soils that have a small amount of sandy mixture. Sorghum can tolerate soil acidity ranging from pH 5.0-8.5, and it tolerates more saline soil than corn.
Types of sorghum
In total there are more than 30 types of sorghum cultivated as food. Sorghum thrives well in heat and tolerates drought. So it is an important grain in the dry areas of Africa. In past years its cultivation was often abandoned in favor of corn because corn yields the highest yield per acre. But in times of drought corn is a loss and people revert to sorghum farming.
Types of millet differ according to their colors, there are white, red, and brown. Natural seeds tend to pollinate more easily but their yield is lower compared to modern seeds. However, modern varieties are produced more cost-effectively when grown according to good agricultural practices.
Serena: It has brown seeds. This type thrives in an area with moderate rainfall and matures in a period of 110 days. This type has strong stems and roots, where it can produce as much as 3,000 kg per hectare. Where 5 kg of seeds are needed for one hectare. This variety has the ability to deal with the disease milia, rust, and brown spots on the leaves.
Seredo: This is another variety with brown seeds, and it is recommended to be cultivated at an altitude of 1,500 meters above sea level. This variety blooms after 71 days and matures in 120 days. This variety is long, and has the capacity to produce 5000 kg per hectare. It has the ability to combat stripe disease, rust, leaf spot, and brown leaf spot.
Gadam: It does well in places that are not very dry. In many countries such as Kenya, this type of millet is used to make beer and also for food. This variety tolerates blight and leaf blight.
Zakiki and Wahi: These are two types of millet that have been produced by the Ilonga Agricultural Research Center to be grown in fields affected by weevils. These seeds are pale yellow in color. Both types of flour are very suitable for cooking ugali.
Field preparation
Prepare the field so that the soil is soft to facilitate germination. If the field is plowed with a tractor, it must be harrowed and if it is prepared with a hand plow, the lumps of soil must be broken. Amount of seed.
Planting in lines without thinning requires 7 to 8 kg per hectare and planting by machine requires 8 to 10 kg per hectare.
Planting You can plant in the dust before it rains, or when the rains start or , when it has rained enough. Depth: Planting in dust 5.0 – 6.0 cm; Planting in moist soil 2.5 – 4.0 cm Spacing: Areas of high humidity: 60cm x 20 cm (60 cm between row and row and 20 cm between stem and stem); Dry areas: cm75x cm20 or cm 90 x cm30.
Fertilizer:
Various types of fertilizers and manure are used to increase soil fertility. Manure: It should be spread on the field and plowed into the ground or placed in lines and mixed with the soil before planting. The recommended amount is 5-10 tons per hectare and should be applied one month before planting. Fertilizer Before planting:
Fertilizer type DAP, 20:20:0, 23:23:0 at the rate of 20 kg N and ~ 20 kg P2O5 per acre, should be applied during planting and before planting seeds. Top dressing: 20 kg N of Urea fertilizer, CAN. Place it next to the plants and make sure it is placed when there is enough moisture to dissolve the fertilizer well
Weeding:
Weeding should be done twice. The first weeding should be done 2-3 weeks after the seeds germinate. The herbicides to be used are Lasso or Gesaprim (before germination) and 2,4 D (after germination).
Pruning
Plants should be pruned 3-4 weeks after germination and should be pruned when the soil is moist enough to reduce damage to the plants.
Pests:
(i) Stalk fly (Antherigona soccata) Effects occur 7 to 30 days after germination. The tadpoles eat inside the plant and cause deadheart symptoms. The delay increases the effects.
(ii) Stem borers (Stem borers Chilo partellus) Symptoms are small windows on young leaves. The tadpoles pierce the stem and young plants show deadhearts.
Prevention
• Planting early
• Removing and burning last season's stubble
• Using resistant seeds
• Using sprays such as Bulldock granules applied to 4-week-old plants to prevent "borers"
Pests of spikes and kernels
(i ) Sorghum midge (Contarina sorghicola) Harms are caused by tadpoles that eat inside the kernel of the seed to prevent the growth of the seeds and cause the seeds to
die
. resistant to harm • Use of drugs like Endosulfan, Ambush, Marshal or Karate.
Storage insects
Important insects in sorghum storage warehouses are weevils and moths.
(i) Corn borer (Sitophilus zeamais) and Sorghum borer - Sitophilus oryzae). Weevils and tadpoles destroy the seeds and make them useless.
Preventing
early harvesting • Thorough drying • Using quality storage warehouses with good ventilation • Cleaning the warehouse and applying pesticides 6 weeks before harvest. Spray with pesticides such as Actellic Super, Malathion or pyrethrum dust.
Birds
There are birds like quelea quelea, such as pigeons.
Preventing
Early planting of seeds that mature at the same time in nearby areas.
• Using flame cables such as ribbons, aluminum foils, tapes.
• Stone canisters tied with a string to make a sound when the string is pulled
• Harvesting at the right time
• Destroying bird breeding grounds
• Using fermented millets.