Chromatin sorghum hybrids produce fivefold yield increase in East Africa
19 March 2015
Chromatin, Inc., an agriculture technology company, announced that its newly introduced hybrid sorghum seed products have achieved unprecedented yields in East Africa. Chromatin introduced the new hybrids at a grain sorghum workshop it hosted in Kampala, Uganda.
Chromatin will distribute its high performing hybrid sorghum seeds across Eastern Africa to help meet the growing demands of the food and beverage industries, as well as meeting the growing needs for animal feed.
Recent reports have suggested that the demands of the brewing industry have put a strain on food supplies in Eastern Africa. This concern can be mitigated as growers shift from low yielding, open pollinated sorghum varieties—which typically yield only 0.5 to 1.0 MT per acre—to higher yielding hybrid sorghum that can produce up to five times as much yield. This practice would effectively result in more efficient land use, freeing acres that could be used to produce other staple crops such as soybeans and wheat.
David Kisa, CEO of Kapchorwa Commercial Farmers Association (KACOFA), who operates a 2,400 acre farm in Uganda said that he had trialed Chromatin’s sorghum hybrids on the farm and produced 2.45MT per acre.
Sorghum’s unique biology allows the crop to conserve water resources while producing high yields of grain and biomass on marginal land, making it an ideal crop choice for the dry and arid Eastern African region.
Good news to feed Africa's (and many other places) fast growing population.
Which grain is more appropriate (nutrition per Ha/yr) considering soil quality, resistance to diseases, fertilizer need and water availability?
Posted by: HarveyD | 19 March 2015 at 11:39 AM