Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
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Table 2.4 Global sorghum production and area harvested
Country
Area (%)
Production (%)
India
24.0
12.9
Nigeria
16.6
13.4
United States
8.5
23.7
Mexico
4.6
10.8
Burkina Faso
2.9
1.7
Ethiopia
2.4
2.1
China
2.3
1.6
Argentina
1.5
5.1
Australia
1.4
2.3
Others
35.7
26.2
World total
41 Mha
57 Tg
[22],
Source: FAO (2001).
Table 2.5 Global millet production and area harvested
Line
——
-1.0
——
Norm
PgEn
Country
Area (%)
Production (%)
India
34.1
33.4
Nigeria
15.8
21.5
Niger
14.2
7.7
China
3.7
8.6
Burkina Faso
3.1
2.6
Mali
2.8
2.8
Russian Federation
2.7
4.6
[22],
Others
23.5
18.7
World total
37 Mha
28 Tg
Source: FAO (2001).
millet are grown on about half of the total area covered by rice or maize
and provide food for people living in some of the world's harshest climates,
particularly those of semiarid South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. Al-
though the United States is the world's largest producer of sorghum, nearly
all of the sorghum produced in United States is fed to livestock.
D
rought and Drought Resistance
Among the primary food cereals, sorghum and millet are grown under the
driest and most variable climate conditions. Though both are more drought
resistant than maize, millet is generally considered to be more drought re-
sistant than sorghum. Because some sorghum varieties can mature as early
as 65-70 days after sowing, farmers are increasing the area of sorghum cul-
tivated in the Sahel-Sudan region, where length of the rainy season limits
crop production (Roncoli et al., 2001).
Like maize, sorghum has a C
4
photosynthetic pathway. Beyond a mini-
mum of 150 mm seasonal evapotranspiration, the evapotranspiration WUE
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