Maharashtra on Top in Sorghum Production with Lack of Advanced Harvesting Process

 Prof. B. T. Gadade, Department of Mechanical Engineering,SVERI’s College of Engineering, Pandharpur

Introduction to sorghum

     Sorghum is the fourth most important world, cereal, following wheat, rice and maize. It is a staple food in the drier parts of tropical Africa, India and China. Sorghum because of its drought resistance, Is the crop par excellence for dry regions and areas with unreliable rainfall; it also stands waterlogged for short periods.

     Sorghum is a third major cereal In India occupying 15.8 million hectare area. The annual production of 11.4 million tons of grain is not commensurate with this vast area. Out of this total area, 401 Is cultivated on stored moisture.

     Sorghum Is the main cereal crop of Maharashtra and Its contribution to total cereal production In the state Is 51% (34 and 17 percent In Kharif and Rabi, respectively), followed by rice (251), wheat (10%) and Bajra (9%). Maharashtra has a total area of 65.77 lakh hectares under sorghum. Out of this total area 30.48 lakh hectares are grown in Kharif and Rabi with an average per hectare yield of 1074 and 458 kg as against the national average of 818 and 535 kg per hectare, respectively.

Harvesting Process

Harvesting is the process of collecting the mature crop from field. Advanced harvesting machines are available in India, which reduces the hard effort of traditional harvesting. Harvesting for wheat and rice follows same process or by using same harvesting machine. Harvesting of sorghum is not possible by the same harvesting machine of wheat. The wheat and rice crop is not useful after harvesting so, in the process the crop is destroyed.

Fig. I: wheat, rice harvesting machine.

The crop of sorghum is very useful as animal food and hence it is stored for long time. Instead of cutting the crop it has picked up with roots, roots are saving the crop for long time and also it prevent the stored (in Marathi Dhepan) sorghum crop from rain. The price of one bunch (Pendhi) is about Rs. 12 to 15, the bunch contains nearly same no. of the crop.

Sorghum harvesting

In traditional method the large amount of labour were required to remove the crop from the field. The removing of the crop by pumping is very hard work, as the land was dry the injury to the hand is common in the crop picking process.

Harvesting of sorghum is different than other crops i.e. Sorghum crop required picking from a field with root and hence the wheat or rice harvesting machine cannot be used for sorghum harvesting.

References:

1. Paul E. Sumner, Extension Engineer, ‘Grain sorghum: harvesting, drying and storing’ The University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Cooperative Extension Service.
2. D.R. Bapat, Senior Sorghum Breeder Mahatma Phule Agricultural University, Rahuri. ‘Rabi sorghum production strategy for Maharashtra – a critical review’, In house Review of Cereals {Sorghum and Millet)A-‘ogram 7-11 April 1987, ICRISAT Center, Patancheru, A.P.