Sweet sorghum is primarily grown in the U.S. as a source of sugar for syrup and molasses. But the hearty grass has more attributes that could make it especially appropriate for production as a bioenergy crop, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) studies suggest.
Sorghum is a good candidate because of its drought tolerance, adaptability to diverse growing conditions, low nitrogen fertilizer requirements and high biomass (plant material) content, according to molecular biologist Scott Sattler and collaborator Jeff Pedersen with the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Grain, Forage and Bioenergy Research Unit in Lincoln, Neb. It also produces soluble sugar that can be converted to biofuel. In addition, residual fibers left over from the juice extraction process can be burned to generate electricity.