International Sorghum and Millet Collaborative Research Support Program (INTSORMIL CRSP)
Date of this Version
7-2012
Document Type
News Article
Citation
Feed the Future (July 2012).
Abstract
de Tecnologia Agropecuaria (INTA), the Collaborative Research Support Program for Sorghum, Millet and Other Grains (INTSORMIL) has released two new varieties of sorghum in Nicaragua that will be used for forage (plant material eaten by grazing livestock).
These new varieties exhibit the “brown midrib” trait (bmr), which has been used for many years by sorghum producers in the United States. The bmr trait increases the digestibility of sorghum by reducing the amount of lignin, a chemical compound found in the cell walls of plants. The more digestible sorghum is for the livestock that consume it, the higher the quality of these animals’ meat and milk production. The new sorghum varieties therefore have the potential to improve the value of livestock for smallholder farmers and to increase the nutrition of their food products.