After completing one Lesson in this Module, you have learned to:

1
Module 11 Harvesting and storing of Sorghum
Virtual Academy for the Semi Arid Tropics
Modules

• After completing one Lesson in this Module, you
  have learned to
• Identify the right stage for harvesting
  sorghum crop.
• Recognize the importance of proper drying of
  sorghum after harvesting the crop.

Course on Sorghum Production Practices
2
Grain sorghum should be harvested as early as
possible to minimize losses due to birds,
insects, mold, and bad weather. Mature grain
sorghum in the field contains about 30 moisture.
At moisture levels higher than 25, the seeds
are too soft to withstand the threshing action.
The ideal moisture content for harvesting
grain sorghum is about 20.
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Many factors influence a grain sorghums stalk's
ability to stay erect until harvested. Most
standability concerns develop when growers leave
sorghum in the field until grain moisture is
below 14. Harvesting at 16 moisture or more
prevents a significant amount of standability
problems.
Sorghum standability
4
Lodging is relatively easy to spot before it
happens and is associated with stalk rots.
Stalk rots show symptoms in the field prior to
lodging taking place.
Lodging of sorghum due to stalk rot
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Reddish discoloration inside the stalk, premature
plant death, and a multitude of small black spots
inside the stalk are the symptoms of stalk
rots. When these symptoms are evident, farmers
should consider early harvest to prevent damage
from stalk rots.
Lodging of sorghum due to stalk rot
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The best stage to harvest sorghum is when the
plants reach the physiological maturity. Physiolo
gical maturity can be determined by the black
(dark) spot at the bottom of the grain as shown
in the Fig.
The grain on the left is physiologically mature
the one on the right is not.
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When the crop matures the leaves turn yellow and
present a dried up appearance. The grains are
hard and firm. The crop is harvested by cutting
the ear-heads first and the stalks later. The
stalks (straw) are cut after a week, allowed to
dry and then stacked.
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In the case of tall varieties, the stems are cut
at 10 to 15 cm above ground level and afterwards
the ear-heads are separated. Then the straw is
stacked.
Harvesting tall sorghum
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The harvested ear heads are dried before
threshing. The grain is separated from the
ear-heads by using a mechanical thresher or by
drawing a stone roller over the ear-heads or
trampling under the feet of cattle. The
separated grain is then cleaned by winnowing
(Fig.) and dried.
Winnowing of sorghum
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Conventional grain dryers or use of natural-air
drying are options for drying grain. Grain at
or below 14 percent moisture is considered dry.
For long-term storage (more than 6 months),
grain moisture content should be a maximum of
13.5.
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Sorghum grain is stored traditionally in mud bins
or straw bins or bamboo bins or in metal bins.
Mud bin to store sorghum
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The storage structures in rural areas are not
ideal from scientific-storage point of view, as
substantial losses occur during storage of grain
from insect pests, moulds, rodents, etc.
Bamboo bin to store sorghum
13
Keeping the requirements of the farmers in view,
the Indian Grain Storage Institute (IGSI), Hapur,
Uttar Pradesh, with its branches at Ludhiana and
Hyderabad, India have developed several metal
bins of different capacities for scientific
storage of grain in rural areas.
Metal bin to store sorghum
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Pusa bin to store sorghum
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Module 11 Harvesting and Storing of Sorghum
Virtual Academy for the Semi Arid Tropics
Exercise
Modules

With this, Module 11 on Harvesting and
Storing of sorghum concludes. If you would like
to check your understanding about harvesting
sorghum, please click on the Exercise button
given above. Next, Module 12 is about sweet
sorghum. Click Modules button and
select Module 12
Course on Sorghum Production Practices