Perspectives of grain sorghum production in our region

Abstract

Grain sorghum represents one of agronomic types of cultivated sorghum (Sorghum bicolor). Along with cultivated, two weedy soghums, Johnsongrass (S. halepense) and spontaneous sorghum are also present in our region. Grain sorghum ranks among the five most important cultivated crops worldwide in both planted area and seed quantity harvested. One of the purposes of this paper is to point to the reality and necessity of extending grain sorghum production in our region. The tropical i.e. African origin of grain sorghum to a great extent explains the requirements of this crop toward the external environment. Tolerance to drought and high temperatures along with less favorable soil types combined with modest requirement for mineral nutrients are the most frequently emphasized positive properties of grain sorghum based on which the production of grain sorghum is more stable and economic under adverse conditions. As a rule, corn should be replaced by grain sorghum whenever the yield of corn is less than 5-5,5 t ∙ ha-1. In long term grain sorghum is already adapted to expected changes caused by global climatic changes and in short terms grain sorghum has a clear advantage as compared to corn as far as the impossibility of growing corn due to corn rootworm is concerned.

Sirak za zrno (Sorghum bicolor) se po površinama i proizvodnji ubraja među pet najvažnijih gajenih biljaka na svetu. Jedan od ciljeva ovog rada je ukazivanje na potrebe povećanja proizvodnje sirka za zrno kako u Evropi tako i u našoj zemlji. Tropsko, Afričko poreklo sirka za zrno u velikoj meri objašnjava njegove skromne zahteve prema uslovima spoljne sredine. Tolerantnost prema suši i visokim temperaturama, skromniji zahtevi prema zemljišnim uslovima i biljnim hranivima su najčešće isticane prednosti sirka za zrno u odnosu na druge gajene biljke pa i kukuruz. Zbog toga se gajenjem sirka za zrno u nepovoljnijim uslovima spoljne sredine obezbeđuju stabilniji i ekonomičniji prinosi u odnosu na gajenje kukuruza. Po pravilu, kukuruz bi trebalo da ustupi mesto sirku za zrno svuda gde se ostvaruje prinos manje od 5,0 do 5,5 t ha-1. U odnosu na kukuruz, sirak za zrno ne napada kukuruzna zlatica (dijabrotika). U vezi s tim, gajenje sirka za zrno je efikasno rešenje za zamenu kukuruza u proizvodnji i ishrani domaćih životinja, a posebno, u uslovima gde kukuruzna zlatica onemogućava gajenje kukuruza u monokulturi. Takođe, dugoročno gledano, sirak za zrno je već sada adaptirana biljka očekivanim globalnim promenama klimatskih uslova.