World SeedSweet Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor)
Sweet sorghum stores 14–20 % soluble sugar in its juicy stalk, making it the highest-energy sorghum for silage and a syrup or ethanol feedstock in dry climates. It is sown once, harvested at soft-dough stage in 100–130 days and can be ratooned. Its agronomy, seed standards and growing regions are below.
Botanical identity and type
Botanical name: Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench, saccharine group, Poaceae.
Origin / type: Tall juicy-stalked sorghum types selected for high stem sugar; open-pollinated Pakistani lines.
Crop type: Annual warm-season crop for high-energy silage, syrup and ethanol feedstock.
Sweet sorghum grows 2.5–3.5 m tall with a thick, juicy stalk that stays sweet through grain fill. Harvested at soft dough, the whole plant gives 50–80 t/ha of green material at 25–30 % dry matter, and the silage carries more water-soluble carbohydrate than any other sorghum, which supports fast fermentation and high intake. The juice tests 14–20 °Brix and yields 2,000–4,000 litres of syrup or 3,000–5,000 litres of ethanol per hectare. Grain yield is secondary, 1.5–2.5 t/ha.
The crop tolerates drought and salinity like grain sorghum, and its late-season sugar accumulation makes it suited to regions with a dry, warm autumn. It is single-cut for silage or syrup; a ratoon after harvest is possible where the season allows. Prussic acid and nitrate cautions for young or stressed sorghum apply as for BMR 313. Seed is small (about 35,000–45,000 per kg) and reddish-brown.
Sweet sorghum is chosen over BMR forage sorghum when a single high-energy silage harvest is wanted rather than multiple green cuts, and over grain sorghum when stalk sugar rather than grain is the product. The sowing rate tables convert the rates below to per-acre and per-feddan figures.
Agronomy at a glance
Figures are typical ranges under good management; local trials should confirm rates for a specific site. Use the sowing rate tables to convert kg/ha to per-acre, per-feddan or per-jerib rates.
| Parameter | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Sowing rate | 8–12 kg/ha for syrup or single-cut silage; 15–20 kg/ha thick-sown forage (typical) |
| Sowing depth | 2–4 cm |
| Row spacing | 45–60 cm rows, 10–15 cm in row |
| Days to harvest | 100–130 days (soft-dough stage) |
| Harvests per season | 1; ratoon possible in frost-free zones |
| Yield, green (whole plant) | 50–80 t/ha (typical) |
| Yield, dry matter | 15–20 t/ha |
| Juice sugar | 14–20 °Brix; 2,000–4,000 L syrup/ha |
| Crude protein | 6–9 % DM whole plant |
| Soil pH | 6.0–8.0 |
| Water need | 450–650 mm per season |
| Temperature | Optimum 25–35 °C; sow above 16 °C soil |
| Salinity tolerance | Moderate: threshold ECe ~6 dS/m |
| Seeds per kg | 35,000–45,000 |
Export seed standards
Standards below are those written on the ISTA-format test report issued with each export lot. See how purity and germination standards work and how to read the report.
| Parameter | Export standard | Method / note |
|---|---|---|
| Pure seed (purity) | 98.0 % min | ISTA purity analysis on a 4-component working sample |
| Germination | 85 % min | ISTA between-paper or sand test, 4 x 100 seeds, normal seedlings |
| Moisture | 12 % max | ISTA oven method (low-constant temperature, 103 °C, 17 h) |
| Inert matter | 2.0 % max | Chaff, soil, broken pieces smaller than half seed |
| Other crop seed | 0.5 % max | Seeds of any other cultivated species |
| Weed seed | 0.1 % max | By number and identity on the report |
Where it is grown
Seed is produced in Sindh (Hyderabad, Tando Allahyar, Sanghar) with sowing in March–April and seed harvest in September–October; lots are ready from November. Isolation from grain sorghum fields is kept at 300 m to protect type.
Importing markets: United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Sudan, Egypt, Türkiye, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Chad, Vietnam, Thailand, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico. It is grown for dairy silage in the Gulf and Egypt, for syrup and small-scale ethanol in Brazil, Mexico and Nigeria, and as a spring-sown single-cut silage in Türkiye and Central Asia.
Buying notes
Sweet Sorghum is exported by Kohenoor International from Karachi and Port Qasim under HS 1007.10. Standard pack is 25 kg; minimum order 1 x 20ft. New-crop seed ships from November. Every shipment carries a phytosanitary certificate (Department of Plant Protection, Pakistan), a certificate of origin, an ISTA-format purity and germination report, packing list and invoice; fumigation certificate and COA on request.
Pricing, samples and shipment planning are handled on the specialist product site: hybridsorghum.com. For loading weights see the container capacity table; for destination paperwork see phytosanitary requirements by destination.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| HS code | 1007.10 |
| Pack | 25 kg |
| Minimum order | 1 x 20ft |
| Purity / germination on report | 98% min / 85% min |
| Shipping terms | FOB or CIF Karachi / Port Qasim |
| Specialist site | hybridsorghum.com |
Frequently asked questions
When should sweet sorghum be harvested for silage?
At soft-dough stage of the grain, typically 100–130 days after sowing, when whole-plant dry matter is 25–30 % and stalk sugar is near maximum. Earlier harvest gives wetter silage and lower sugar; later harvest lignifies the stalk.
What brix can I expect?
Juice from well-grown stalks tests 14–20 °Brix at harvest. Sugar peaks two to three weeks after flowering and declines if harvest is delayed past hard dough.
Is sweet sorghum silage better than BMR sorghum silage?
Sweet sorghum has more sugar and energy per kilogram of dry matter; BMR sorghum has more digestible fibre and gives several cuts. For a single high-energy pit, sweet sorghum; for repeated green chop, BMR 313.
Can sweet sorghum be ratooned?
Yes, where 90 days of frost-free weather remain after the first harvest. Cut at 10–15 cm and irrigate; the ratoon gives 50–60 % of the main-crop tonnage.
What is the HS code and MOQ?
HS 1007.10, packed in 25 kg bags, one 20-ft container (about 18–20 MT) minimum through the exporter; smaller trial lots through the sister site linked above.
Need Sweet Sorghum seed?
The knowledge base is maintained by Kohenoor International's agronomy team. Quotes for Sweet Sorghum are handled by the export desk and the specialist site linked in the buying notes.
export@kohenoorint.com · +92 310 4929292 · Reply within 24 hours