I’m thinking about crossing sorghum and grain sorghum, for two reasons.
The first is the obvious; it would be nice to be able to eat your brooms and have them too!
The second is that broomcorn is presumably somewhat less “domesticated” than grain sorghum, and it would represent a fairly wide cross between strains within the species, giving a possibility of adaption and possibly more vigor.
I would imagine that broomcorn has lower yield, and I’ve heard that the seeds are much less palatable; selecting for light-colored seeds should make it relatively easy to recover eating quality.
Any thoughts on this?
Also, any thoughts on the harvesting or processing of sorghum? I’ve only grown broomcorn so far. I’m hearing conflicting reports on whether sorghum needs to be hulled; since sorghum from the grocery store sprouts and grows, I would guess not.
Good idea I think, mainly because I’ve been considering doing the same thing I’ve only grown a couple of sorghums. Only the popping sorghum I have threshes easily. I don’t think unhulled sorghum, although high in fibre, would be terribly palatable. I’ll be looking to cross my broom corn with the popping sorghum and selecting for white seeds, easy threshing, taller plants (my popping sorghum is only waist high at harvest) and brooms. However, if the broom part doesn’t work out at least I’ll have taller plants. More biomass is always welcome.
I’m wondering that about the sorghum. The stuff from the store grows, so it must not be hulled, right? Or can hulled seed germinated and grow properly?
I wonder if easier threshing and durable broomstraw would be at cross-purposes with one another? I am thinking of developing a rake or comb-like tool to quickly strip seeds from the broomcorn.
I’ve noticed some varieties have a hull that covers the seed more than other varieties and there seems to be variation in threshability. Like the African black milo has a dark husk that covers the white edible seed. Korjaj and coral have very free-threshing seeds. I grew one type of broomcorn once and the seeds were red with the husk. I’m not sure if this is the case with all broomcorn. I imagine you could efficiently harvest them by swinging them against the inside of a drum or barrel like with rice. I’m sure you could get whatever you want out of these two types if they cross.
This is my favorite kind of sorghum but unfortunately, this one doesn’t grow inconsistently here: Maizeña – Native-Seeds-Search
The seeds were on a loose panicle, very white, almost translucent, and very easy to thresh. Some of the tighter panicles don’t want to give up their seeds that easily.
Lowell, are you saying that in some varieties the hull falls of easily during threshing, or that the hulls on those varieties are just not as substantial?
The hull is small and separates easily from the seed, often staying attached to the plant during threshing.
I believe I have some korjaj and coral seeds I could send you. Both have great huskless seed production. The Grain Mix in Going to Seed will have 3-ish types of sorghum in it. Coral is known to take a long season and never produces seed for me until autumn or very late summer. Korjaj will produce seed for me in May/June if I plant it very early. I think the information on growing sorghum says they’re more dry-period sensitive than daylight-sensitive. May and autumn are our typical dry periods.
Hi Lowell, I’d be happy to receive some seeds! If you’d like, I could trade for them and/or cover shipping costs.
Good to know that about the hulls; I’ve been trying to figure them out from the seeds I have on hand and the literature.
Here in Colorado, spring is our wettest time of year, from April through July, with August and September being fairly dry (and feeling a drier than the winter months due to high evapotranspiration).
Any update on your project? I have grown both types for three years. I cant distinguish if they crossed with each other or not. I started with ten types including broom corn. I’ve only thrashed by scrunching the seed heads over a bowl. Most of the seed drops off and some stays stuck to the stalk. Haven’t tried it yet for eating or milling as I’m still increasing for seed. I sent in seed to GTS, its mostly the eating types for 2025.
Hi Kim, I grew them out side by side this year, and kept the two batches separate; I will plant them separately this spring, so that I can see if there was any crossing. I assume that either white or colored seed coats are dominant, and the same with broom-style vs grain style heads, so hybrids should be obvious in at least one direction, but wouldn’t be if everything was just mixed up.
From the grow out I started, the dark or black do well here and so does the white round seed type, I think popping sorghum. They grew over the summer and it was brutally hot.
Glad your growing grains and getting seed.
I’ve only grown a couple of sorghums. Only the popping sorghum I have threshes easily. I don’t think unhulled sorghum, although high in fibre, would be terribly palatable. I’ll be looking to cross my broom corn with the popping sorghum and selecting for white seeds, easy threshing, taller plants (my popping sorghum is only waist high at harvest) and brooms. However, if the broom part doesn’t work out at least I’ll have taller plants. More biomass is always welcome.