The drought- and heat-resistant nature of sorghum make it an appealing rotational crop, especially for cotton and cattle farmers in the Texas High Plains.

Texas Tech University is set to host the 2026 Global Sorghum Conference in September. It’s the first time the event will be held in the United States and comes as sorghum is garnering more attention across the country and around the globe.

“Sorghum isn’t new – it’s always had its place – but it is important now because of the challenges we’re facing where we have less rainfall and less resources,” said Krishna Jagadish, professor and Thornton Distinguished Chair in the Department of Plant & Soil Science in the Davis College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources.

Sorghum has historically been used in the U.S. as livestock feed for poultry, beef, dairy and swine, serving as an alternative to corn-based feed. Sorghum can function as a forage crop and the newly developed prussic acid-free sorghum provides several advantages in addition to ensuring the safety of farmers’ livestock.

Sorghum has also played a major role in renewable ethanol fuel production.

“Use of sorghum in biofuel production is important for us to keep up with the environment and times,” Jagadish added.

And while countries, especially in Asia and Africa, have been including sorghum in their diet for centuries, the U.S. is starting to see more culinary interest in sorghum.

The super grain, also considered an ancient whole grain, is packed with protein, fiber and essential minerals. It’s also gluten-free, making it appealing for those with dietary restrictions. 

However, it’s sorghum’s distinctive biological characteristics that make it a unique crop.

Sorghum’s roots run deep, allowing it to extract water from more soil layers underground.

Jagadish adds that sorghum’s leaves are also waxier than crops like corn or cotton.

“Because of the wax, the leaves reflect the light and the heat,” he continued. “The heat is being reflected away and not taken up by the plant, so less water is needed to cool the plant.”

In other words, sorghum can thrive in drought-like conditions. 

Sorghum also can be rotated with other crops to help reduce insects, weeds and diseases. This can be especially helpful in a place like Texas where cotton is one of the most produced crops and can be hard on the soil.

Perhaps even better, sorghum stays green throughout its entire cycle.

“Even when the sorghum is ready to harvest, it’s a beautiful green with a red tint to the heads,” Jagadish said. “When you harvest and take off the grain, you cut the straw and leave the straw on the ground. That nitrogen in the leaves becomes available to the subsequent crop the farmer grows.” 

Texas Tech hopes to help lead the future of sorghum research. In the last few years, several research projects at the university, many led by Jagadish himself, have received multi-million-dollar grants.

In 2023, an interdisciplinary team directed by Jagadish received a $4.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Advancing Markets for Producers. The five-year project is examining low-cost crops like sorghum as a means to strengthen economic and environmental sustainability across the Texas High Plains.

“We are looking at a sorghum-cotton rotation with and without cover crops, and this is exactly to prove the multi-functionality point of having sorghum in rotation with cotton,” Jagadish said. “You can improve soil health but may not require an additional cover crop, and we want to demonstrate that.”

Much of Jagadish’s work with sorghum is meant to increase the crop’s appeal to farmers. Farmers are looking at factors like sorghum yield and market demand, both of which can generally be less than cotton. It’s a hard ask for farmers to include sorghum as part of their rotation if they believe it isn’t as helpful to their bottom line.

Still, Jagadish is hopeful as he considers the future of sorghum.

“If you look at the overall scheme of things in cotton country, where soil health keeps going down, incorporating sorghum actually provides relief at a system level through water use, productivity and sustainability,” he said. “That’s what, in my opinion, makes sorghum so interesting in a rotational system. There are just so many benefits.”