Molecular Soil Biology 2025, Vol.16, No.3, 126-136 http://bioscipublisher.com/index.php/msb 127 which fertilization methods are more environmentally friendly. These ideas can provide references for green planting of sorghum and sustainable agricultural development. 2 Agronomic Importance of Edible Sorghum 2.1 Nutritional content (protein, starch, polyphenols, micronutrients) Sorghum is a nutritious grain. It contains a lot of protein, starch, polyphenols and trace elements. Studies have found that the protein content of sorghum is about 9.59% to 13.60%. It also contains a variety of amino acids needed by the body, such as lysine and methionine. Sorghum also contains a lot of iron and zinc. The iron content is about 35.26 to 156.32 mg/kg, and the zinc content is between 14.45 and 44.46 mg/kg (Andiku et al., 2022; Makebe and Shimelis, 2023). In addition, sorghum polyphenols have antioxidant effects, which are good for health. Because of these nutritional characteristics, sorghum is very helpful in preventing malnutrition and supplementing trace elements, and is a healthy food worth promoting. 2.2 Versatility in food industries: gluten-free products, syrups, brewing Sorghum is naturally gluten-free, so it is particularly suitable for people with gluten allergies or intolerance. Now many gluten-free foods, such as bread and cakes, are made with sorghum (Hao et al., 2021; Hossain et al., 2022). In addition to being a food, sorghum can also be used to make beverages such as syrup, sorghum wine and beer, and can also be used as animal feed. This shows that it has many uses in food and industry. In addition, sorghum straw and other parts have high yields, making them very suitable for use as biofuels and industrial raw materials, which is an environmentally friendly and sustainable choice (Hao et al., 2021; Liu et al., 2025). 2.3 Global production trends and regional focus (e.g., Africa, Asia, U.S.) Sorghum is the fifth largest cereal crop in the world. It is mainly grown in Africa, Asia and the United States, and is very important for the food problem of about 750 million people in the world (Hao et al., 2021; Khalifa and Eltahir, 2023; Getahun et al., 2025) (Figure 1). In sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, sorghum is a staple food for many people every day. It can grow well in arid, barren and hot environments (Hossain et al., 2022; Khalifa and Eltahir, 2023). Although climate change has brought many difficulties in recent years, sorghum production has been increasing through the selection of new varieties and improved fertilization and management methods, especially in Africa, where it has performed very well (Khalifa and Eltahir, 2023). Some places in the United States and Asia are also promoting the multiple uses and industrialization of sorghum, hoping to use it more widely and better. Figure 1 Map of the global distribution of sorghum cultivation areas (Adopted from Khalifa and Eltahir, 2023)
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