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| synonyms_ref = }} ''Sorghum bicolor'', commonly called sorghum () and also known as ''durra'', jowari, or milo, is a grass species cultivated for its grain, which is used for food, both for animals and humans, and for ethanol production. Sorghum originated in northern Africa, and is now cultivated widely in tropical and subtropical regions. Sorghum is the world's fifth most important cereal crop after rice, wheat, maize and barley. ''S. bicolor'' is typically an annual, but some cultivars are perennial. It grows in clumps that may reach over 4 m high. The grain is small, ranging from 3 to 4 mm in diameter. Sweet sorghums are sorghum cultivars that are primarily grown for foliage, syrup production, and ethanol; they are taller than those grown for grain.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://sseassociation.org/SweetSorghum/default.aspx )〕 ''S. bicolor'' is the cultivated species of sorghum; its wild relatives make up the botanical genus ''Sorghum''. == Cultivation == The leading producers of sorghum bicolor in 2011 were Nigeria (12.6%), India (11.2%), Mexico (11.2%) and the United States (10.0%).〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=AGMRC ''Sorghum'' profile )〕 Sorghum grows in a wide range of temperature, high altitudes, toxic soils and can recover growth after some drought.〔 It has four features that make it one of the most drought-resistant crops: * It has a very large root-to-leaf surface area ratio. * In times of drought, it will roll its leaves to lessen water loss by transpiration. * If drought continues, it will go into dormancy rather than dying. * Its leaves are protected by a waxy cuticle. Richard Pankhurst reports (citing Augustus B. Wylde) that in 19th-century Ethiopia, ''durra'' was "often the first crop sown on newly cultivated land", explaining that this cereal did not require the thorough ploughing other crops did, and its roots not only decomposed into a good fertilizer, but they also helped to break up the soil while not exhausting the subsoil.〔Richard Pankhurst, ''Economic History of Ethiopia'' (Addis Ababa: Haile Selassie I University, 1968), p. 193.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Sorghum bicolor」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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