Where is sorghum produced? Introduction to the distribution of main producing areas

Sorghum, also known as shushu, taoshu, muji and other names, is an annual herbaceous plant of the grass family. It is distributed extremely widely in China, and is grown almost throughout the country, but the main producing areas are quite concentrated. North of the Qinling Mountains and the Yellow River, especially north of the Great Wall, is the main producing area. The country is divided into 4 cultivation zones: the spring-sown early-maturing zone, the spring-sown late-maturing zone, the spring-summer dual-sowing zone and the southern sorghum zone. Let us take a look below at where sorghum is produced!

Spring-sown early-maturing zone

The spring-sown early-maturing sorghum zone includes all of Heilongjiang, Jilin and Inner Mongolia, the Chengde area of Hebei Province, the area below the Zhangjiakou dam, northern Shanxi and Shaanxi provinces, the arid region of Ningxia, central Gansu and the Hexi region, the ** northern plains and basins, etc. The spring-sown early-maturing zone lies at 34°30'~48°50' north latitude, at an altitude of 300~1000 m, with an annual average temperature of 2.5~7.0℃, active accumulated temperature (accumulated temperature ≥10℃) of 2000~3000℃, a frost-free period of 120~150 days, and annual precipitation of 100~700 mm. The varieties produced are mainly early-maturing and medium-early-maturing types. Because the accumulated temperature is relatively low, sorghum production is easily affected by low-temperature chilling injury, so technical measures to prevent low temperatures and promote early maturity should be adopted. It is a one-crop-per-year system, usually sown in early to mid-May and harvested in September.

Spring-sown late-maturing zone

The spring-sown late-maturing sorghum zone is China's main sorghum producing area, with a relatively high level of per-unit yield. It includes most areas of Liaoning, Hebei, Shanxi, Shaanxi and other provinces, the yellow river irrigation districts of Beijing, Tianjin and Ningxia, eastern and southern Gansu, the southern Xinjiang and eastern Xinjiang basins of **, etc. The spring-sown late-maturing zone is located at 32~41°47' north latitude, at an altitude of 3~2000 m, with an annual average temperature of 8~14.2℃, active accumulated temperature of 3000~4000℃, a frost-free period of 150~250 days, and annual precipitation of 16.2~900 mm. It is basically a one-crop-per-year system. Because the heat conditions are relatively good, late-maturing varieties are mostly used for cultivation. In recent years, due to reform of the farming system, summer-sown sorghum has been planted after the wheat harvest, changing one crop per year to three crops in two years or two crops per year.

Spring-summer dual-sowing zone

The spring-summer dual-sowing sorghum zone includes parts of Shandong, Jiangsu, Henan, Anhui, Hubei, Hebei and other provinces. It is located at 24°15'~38°15' north latitude, at an altitude of 24~3000 m, with an annual average temperature of 14~17℃, active accumulated temperature of 4000~5000℃, a frost-free period of 200~280 days, and annual precipitation of 600~1300 mm. In the spring-summer dual-sowing zone, spring-sown sorghum and summer-sown sorghum each account for about half. Spring-sown sorghum is mostly distributed on relatively poor low-lying and saline-alkali land, and mostly uses medium-late-maturing varieties. Summer-sown sorghum is mainly distributed on flat and fertile land, as the following crop after summer harvest crops, and mostly uses early-maturing varieties with a growth period of no more than 100 days. The cultivation system is mainly two crops per year or three crops in two years.

Southern sorghum zone

The southern sorghum zone includes the southern part of central China and all of south China and southwest China. It is located at 18°10'~30°10' north latitude, at an altitude of 400~1500 m, with an annual average temperature of 16~22℃, active accumulated temperature of 5000~6000℃, a frost-free period of 240~365 days, and annual precipitation of 1000~2000 mm. The southern sorghum zone covers a vast area and is mostly planted in scattered plots. The provinces with relatively more planting include Sichuan, Guizhou, Hunan and others. The varieties used are strongly short-day types, with loose-panicle and waxy varieties being the majority, and most have tillering ability. The cultivation system is three crops per year. In recent years, ratoon sorghum has seen some development.