Plant Sciences Commons^™

Altos Costos Del Trigo: El Caso De La Harina De Sorgo En La Industria De La Panifi Cacion De El Salvador, Intsormil

INTSORMIL Impacts and Bulletins

El programa de tecnología de alimentos del CENTA, con el apoyo del INTSORMIL ha estado desarrollando recetas de pan a base de harina de sorgo y probándolas en pequeñas y medianas panaderías de El Salvador por muchos años. Ahora con los precios de harina de trigo a $0.57 por libra, los panaderos de El Salvador han demostrado un creciente interés en el uso del sorgo a un costo de $0.32 por libra como un sustituto parcial de la harina de trigo en sus productos. Los tecnólogos de alimentos del CENTA han estado promoviendo el uso y consumo de harina de …

Usaid/Mali Awards $5 M Associate Cooperative Agreement To Intsormil For Food Insecurity Mitigation In Mali, West Africa, Kimberly Christiansen

INTSORMIL Impacts and Bulletins

Dr. John Yohe, Program Director of the “Sorghum, Millet and other Grains Collaborative Research Support Program” (INTSORMIL) announces receipt from the USAID Mission in Mali, West Africa, of a $5 million grant to expand the activities of the current project “Transfer of Sorghum, Millet Production, Processing and Marketing Technologies in Mali.” Subsistence and resource poor farmers in West Africa are dependent on sorghum and millet as they serve as basic human foods and livestock feed. There continues to be a shortage of sorghum and millet grain in Mali, especially in the north. Mali’s ‘Hungry Season’ has been described as “that …

University Of Nebraska Selected To Manage The New Sorghum/Millet And Other Grains Crsp, John Yohe, Kimberly Christiansen

INTSORMIL Impacts and Bulletins

Dr. John Yohe, INTSORMIL CRSP Program Director, has announced that the University of Nebraska (UNL) has been selected as the Management Entity for the new Sorghum/Millet and Other Grains CRSP. The award was based on national competition among U. S. universities. This CRSP is funded through a Leader with Associates Cooperative Agreement instrument as opposed to a grant under which INTSORMIL was funded since 1979. The INTSORMIL CRSP, Managed by UNL in partnership with Kansas State University, Purdue University, Texas A&M University, UNL and West Texas A&M University, ends June 30, 2007. The Leader with Associates Cooperative Agreement is effective …

Protecting Sorghum Grain From Pests In Africa, Intsormil

INTSORMIL Impacts and Bulletins

Insect pests destroy more than 35% of stored grain worldwide and probably even more in Africa. Considering the current global food shortage this is a tremendous loss. To mitigate losses caused by insects in stored sorghum grain, INTSORMIL scientist Bonnie Pendleton of West Texas A&M University is collaborating with African entomologists to develop management strategies. Storage conditions are critical in preventing losses due to pests. A survey in Mali by IER scientist Niamoye Yaro Diarisso found that farmers in the Koulikoro and Ségou regions thresh sorghum and millet and store it in the form of grain. However, in the Sikasso …

Intsormil And Iiam Collaborate To Promote Sorghum Production In Mozambique, Intsormil

INTSORMIL Impacts and Bulletins

Sorghum is a major cereal grain in Mozambique with a cultivated area of 2.7 million hectares. It is considered as a food security crop in most of the provinces in the country, especially in regions where rainfall is a limiting factor for maize and rice production. However, due to a lack of seed and poor distribution of improved sorghums farmers continue to use their local varieties which have low productivity potential (0.2 - 0.6 ton/ha). To increase productivity and provide food security there is an urgent need for (1) the development of varieties with higher yield potential, (2) improved crop …

Intsormil Scientists Develop Insect Resistant Sorghum And Pearl Millet For Africa And The Usa, Intsormil

INTSORMIL Impacts and Bulletins

The aphids Melanaphis sacchari (sugarcane aphid) in Africa and Schizaphis graminum (greenbug, see above) in the United States; panicle bugs; sorghum midge, Stenodiplosis sorghicola; stalk borers and termites infest and reduce yields of sorghum. The millet head miner, Heliocheilus albipunctella, reduces grain yield and quality of pearl millet.

INTSORMIL entomologist Bonnie Pendleton, West Texas A&M University, collaborates with African scientists to develop management strategies for sorghum and millet insects. Emphasis is on developing plants resistant to pests. Hundreds of sorghum and pearl millet genotypes have been evaluated by INTSORMIL scientists for grain yield and quality and resistance to …

‘Sureño,’ Dual Purpose Grain And Forage Sorghum For Central America, Intsormil

INTSORMIL Impacts and Bulletins

Sureño sorghum- the white grain makes great tortillas and the forage and grain are a preferred livestock feed. Whereas most sorghum cultivars are gown for either silage or grain, Sureño sorghum is used for both. Because of its dual purpose qualities as a good grain for livestock and human consumption and as a forage for cattle, Sureño is popular with cattle producers and the bakery industry and is spreading throughout Central America.

The sweet ensilage of Sureño sorghum is preferred by the Central American cattle producers because of its high nutritious value, high energy value and high production of 71 …

High Wheat Prices: The Case For Sorghum Flour In The El Salvador Baking Industry, Intsormil

INTSORMIL Impacts and Bulletins

The INTSORMIL supported CENTA Food Technology program has been developing sorghum based bakery recipes and testing them at small and medium sized bakeries in El Salvador for several years. Now, with imported wheat prices at US$ 57 per 100 lb., El Salvador bakers are showing increased interest in using sorghum, at US$ 32 per 100 lb., as a partial replacement for wheat flour in their bakery products. CENTA food technologists have recently been promoting sorghum flour via TV and newspapers and, as a result, bakers and food processors have requested training (large photo below) in the milling of sorghum and …

Intsormil Scientist On Voa Reports A New Approach To Combat Witchweed, A Killer Of Sorghum Crops In Africa, Intsormil

INTSORMIL Impacts and Bulletins

In a May 19, 2008 interview on the Voice of America INTSORMIL scientist Mitch Tuinstra, a Purdue University sorghum breeder, reported on sorghum seed that he and his colleagues have produced that can protect sorghum crops from a weed called Striga. Although their target weed has a pleasant looking purple flower it’s action is far from pleasant. Striga causes six or seven billion dollars in crop damage every year to African grain sorghum.

Striga, called ‘witchweed’ in Africa, is parasitic on sorghum, stealing water and nutrients from sorghum roots. Witchweed has an unusual quality, it requires chemical signals …

Intsormil And Care Join Hands To Promote Sorghum Production And Utilization In El Salvador, Intsormil

INTSORMIL Impacts and Bulletins

An agreement between CARE International and INTSORMIL was signed in San Salvador on May 27, 2008. The 24 month agreement signed by Ms Ligia Elizabeth Alvarenga, CARE El Salvador and René Clara Valencia, INTSORMIL Regional Coordinator for Central America, promotes collaboration in the Pilot Phase of PRONORTE, an initiative oriented toward the development of improved dairy production technologies in the Northern Region of El Salvador. Under this memorandum CARE and INTSORMIL agree to:

1st- Join efforts to benefi t small and medium sized dairy producers in the Department of Morazan, El Salvador.

2nd- CARE and INTSORMIL will provide inputs to …

Sorghum Technology And Marketing Strategies Increase Farm Income In West Africa, Intsormil

INTSORMIL Impacts and Bulletins

The INTSORMIL Production-Marketing Project with support from the USAID Africa’s regional program collaborated with national programs, local NGOs and farmers’ organizations to introduce new technology and marketing strategies for sorghum farmers in Mali, Niger and Senegal. The project involved 300 ha of sorghum and worked with approximately 400 sorghum producers in the three countries. The three component program consisted of (1) a technology component aimed at increasing output through the use of improved technologies (the combination an improved variety, inorganic fertilizers, water harvesting techniques and other agronomic improvements), (2) a marketing component aimed at getting a price premium for grain …

Sorghum Yields Doubled In Farmers’ Fields In Three West African Countries, Intsormil

INTSORMIL Impacts and Bulletins

To increase sorghum and millet production, improved technologies must be introduced to farmers and new markets developed to avoid price collapses from increasing output levels. To promote this productivity increase INTSORMIL conducted on-farm demonstrations of existing technology in collaboration with the national extension agencies and agricultural research programs in Senegal (ISRA), Mali (IER) and Niger (INRAN). Improved seed, inorganic fertilizer and improved agronomic practices, often including tied ridges for water harvesting, were introduced on one ha farmer plots in the three countries. Farmers following agronomic recommendations consistently doubled yields with the best farmers obtaining 2 to 2.5 tons of sorghum/ha …

Intsormil/Centa Sorghum Breeder Wins Pccmca Award, Intsormil

INTSORMIL Impacts and Bulletins

INTSORMIL/CENTA El Salvador scientist Salvador Zeledon (left with Rene Clara and Vilma Calderon) won fi rst place for his paper presented at the 53rd annual meeting of the PCCMCA (El Programa Cooperativo Centroamericano para el Mejoramiento de Cultivos y Animales) held in San José, Costa Rica April 14-18, 2008. The theme of the meeting was “Global Changes, Tendencies, Effects and Perspectives for Agriculture in Mesoamérica and the Caribbean Towards 2020.” The meeting was attended by scientists from Asia, Africa, South and North America with most participants coming from the Caribbean Basin, i.e., Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Costa …

Intsormil/Centa Food Technologist Awarded Prize At Pccmca, Intsormil

INTSORMIL Impacts and Bulletins

INTSORMIL/CENTA El Salvador scientist, Vilma Calderon (right), won third place for her paper presented at the 53rd annual meeting of the PCCMCA (El Programa Cooperativo Centroamericano para el Mejoramiento de Cultivos y Animales) held in San José, Costa Rica April 14-18, 2008. Vilma’s paper entitled “Nutritional Quality of Whole Sorghum in Different Food Applications” demonstrated how people from different cultures utilize sorghum as a human food and how sorghum is a nutritional alternative for inclusion in the diet of people in developing countries. With INTSORMIL support Vilma has been conducting research on the utilization of sorghum for human consumption at …

Promoting Market Driven Sorghum Production In Zambia, Intsormil

INTSORMIL Impacts and Bulletins

In the southern Africa region there is significant interest in using sorghum in the manufacture of value added food products. However, for sorghum to be commercially successful, quality grain at an affordable price must be available. Zambian food processing companies cannot consistently acquire sufficient quantities of high quality sorghum for processing. Market channels need to be improved so that sorghum varieties with the required quality to meet commercial consumer requirements are produced and supplied consistently. A strong need exists for strengthening the system of production, post–harvest handling and storage, marketing, and processing for human food and livestock feed. To meet …

Intsormil Promotes Sorghum Production In Nicaragua, Intsormil

INTSORMIL Impacts and Bulletins

The INTSORMIL Central America Regional Program supports the efforts of national research programs to develop dynamic research programs that contribute to productivity, economic growth, natural resource conservation and improved diets. INTSORMIL supports a ‘network’ approach and promotes sorghum production in the region through the PCCMCA (Central Cooperative Program for Improving Crops and Animals) and other national and international organizations. PCCMCA serves as a forum for the international testing program for sorghum in Central America (CA). Rene Clara, INTSORMIL CA Regional Coordinator based at CENTA in El Salvador, coordinates the regional grain sorghum yield trials conducted on belhalf of the PCCMCA. …

Intsormil Promotes Sorghum Production In Nicaragua, Intsormil

INTSORMIL Impacts and Bulletins

The INTSORMIL Central America Regional Program supports the efforts of national research programs to develop dynamic research programs that contribute to productivity, economic growth, natural resource conservation and improved diets. INTSORMIL supports a ‘network’ approach and promotes sorghum production in the region through the PCCMCA (Central Cooperative Program for Improving Crops and Animals) and other national and international organizations. PCCMCA serves as a forum for the international testing program for sorghum in Central America (CA). Rene Clara, INTSORMIL CA Regional Coordinator based at CENTA in El Salvador, coordinates the regional grain sorghum yield trials conducted on belhalf of the PCCMCA. …

Capacitan A Personas Intersadas Y Panaderos Sobre La Utilización De Harina De Sorgo: Más De 25 Personas Interesadas Entre Ellos Panaderos Son Capacitados Sobre El Uso De Harina De Sorgo, Roxana Ortiz, Eduardo Funes

INTSORMIL Impacts and Bulletins

El Ministerio de Agricultura y Ganadería (MAG) a través del Centro Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria y Forestal (CENTA), capacitan a un grupo de personas interesadas y panaderos sobre la utilización de harina de sorgo para la producción de pan y otros productos.

La ingeniera Margarita Alvarado, Coordinadora del Laboratorio de Tecnología de Alimentos del CENTA, expresó que se ha investigado el cultivo de sorgo a través del Programa de Granos Básicos, y también las bondades que el grano tiene para el uso de harina.

El Sorgo O Llamado Comúnmente “Maicillo” Es Cultivado En Todo El Territorio Nacional Y Utilizado Para El Consumo Humano Y Animal (El Sorgo Es Alternativa De Harina Para Pan), Roxana Ortiz

INTSORMIL Impacts and Bulletins

A fi n de buscar nuevas alternativas para la industria panifi cadora, el Centro Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria y Forestal (CENTA) del Ministerio de Agricultura y Ganadería (MAG) ve la posibilidad de industrializar el sorgo para convertirlo en harina y darle un valor agregado al cultivo.

Vilma Calderón de Zacatares, técnica del laboratorio de Tecnología de Alimentos del CENTA, manifestó que la institución realiza investigaciones donde afi rma que la harina de trigo puede ser sustituida por la de sorgo.

“Actualmente, el costo de la harina de trigo varía de $30 a $36 por quintal, precio muy alto en comparación …

Apuesta Por Sorgo Para Hacer Pan: Mezclar Harina De Trigo Con Sorgo Podría Reducir Hasta 50% Los Costos De Producción De Pan Francés Y Dulce, Pero El Proyecto Necesita Más Equipo, Lourdes Quintanilla

INTSORMIL Impacts and Bulletins

Los salpores y el pan francés esperan su turno frente al horno en la panadería de Iván Calderón. El empresario, que fabrica y distribuye pan en Antiguo Cuscatlán, ya probó una mezcla inusual para la masa: harina de sorgo (maicillo) combinada con harina de trigo.

Calderón probó el nuevo ingrediente hace año y medio, cuando el Centro Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria y Forestal (CENTA) llegó a dejarle una arroba de harina de sorgo. Usó un 10% de sorgo para el pan francés y otro 20% para el pan dulce. “No hay que ponerle más, porque si no el pan no …

Sorghum Lager And Stout Beer: A Boost To The African Economy, Intsormil

INTSORMIL Impacts and Bulletins

For millennia, sorghum has been the basis of traditional African beers such as the clear beers of West Africa (dolo and pito) and the opaque beers of southern Africa. These beers are part of the African tradition and remain very popular but today Africans also enjoy lager and stout beers. These beers, of European origin, use barley as their major ingredient. This presents a major problem as barley is a temperate cereal and the African climate is unsuitable for cultivation. Thus, barley grain or barley malt must be imported which requires the use of valuable foreign exchange and increases the …

K-State Agronomists Help West African Farmers Increase Sorghum And Pearl Millet Production, Katie Starzec

INTSORMIL Impacts and Bulletins

Grain sorghum is an important crop not only to farmers in Kansas, but to farmers in many countries in Africa.

Some of the production challenges are the same, but many challenges are different or more severe in West African countries, said Vara Prasad, assistant professor of agronomy at K-State. West African farmers battle against drought, soil infertility and parasitic weeds.

INTSORMIL Regional Project Sites in Africa

The purpose of INTSORMIL is to find ways to improve production practices in those countries. West African farmers face serious problems of a localized and volatile market, the agronomists said.

Nebraska Promotes Sorghum And Pearl Millet Food Processing In East Africa, Intsormil

INTSORMIL Impacts and Bulletins

Sorghum and millet are ideal crops for many parts of Africa. However, sorghum and millet’s use as food sources for large urban populations in West Africa is hampered by 1) lack of infrastructure for conveying and demonstrating the food value of sorghum and millet to small business investors, 2) limitations on the supply of high quality grains to processors, 3) lack of small processors, 4) lack of educational resources related to small business development, 5) lack of product development expertise, and 6) lack of knowledge of evidence supporting nutritional claims associated with sorghum and millet consumption.

The Department of Food …

El Salvador President Tony Saca Releases Sorghum Forage Hybrid “Centa Ss - 44", Intsormil

INTSORMIL Impacts and Bulletins

President of the Republic of El Salvador, Don Elias Antonio Saca, on May 17, 2006 officially gave the green light to the opening of the agricultural year 2006-2007. Speaking in the city of Turin in the western department of Ahuachapán, El Salvador, he informed the nation’s thousands of farmers that the opportune moment to begin planting had again arrived. The Chief of State let it be known that this celebration in Turin was a clear signal to the nation’s farmers that the Government of El Salvador pledges its support to assist the farming community in producing the necessary food for …

El Presidente De El Salvador Tony Saca Libera El Híbrido De Sorgo Para Forrajes “Centa Ss - 44”, Intsormil

INTSORMIL Impacts and Bulletins

El 17 de Mayo del 2006 el Presidente de El Salvador Don Elias Antonio Saca, oficialmente inauguró el año agrícola 2006- 2007. En su discurso en la ciudad de Turín localizada en el Departamento de Auachapán al oeste de El Salvador, el presidente informó a los miles de agricultores de la nación que era el momento oportuno para comenzar a sembrar nuevamente. El jefe del estado les dejó conocer a todos los agricultores de la nación, que esta celebración en Turín era una clara evidencia que el gobierno de El Salvador prometía su ayuda en asistir a la comunidad granjera …

Centa Ss-44, Nuevo Híbrido De Sorgo Para Forraje En El Salvador, Intsormil

INTSORMIL Impacts and Bulletins

Uno de los problemas que más acosa el desarollo de la industria lechera en Centro América es la falta de forraje de buena calidad, lo cual se traduce en baja producción tanto de leche como de carne y en aumento en los costos de producción. Muchos ganaderos productores de leche, en su búsqueda por un adecuado forraje para alimentar el hato de vacas, utilizan híbridos de sorgo o maíz de baja calidad lo cual resulta en pérdidas económicas.

En el caso del sorgo, el mayor problema es la falta de cultivares que tengan los siguientes atributos 1) sean tempranos, 2) …

Centa Ss- 44, New Sorghum Forage Hybrid For El Salvador, Intsormil

INTSORMIL Impacts and Bulletins

One of the major problems plaguing the development of the Central American dairy industry is the lack of good quality forage which results in low milk and meat production and an increase in production costs. Many dairy farmers, in their search for suitable forage to feed their cattle herds, utilize poor quality sorghum or maize hybrids which can result in economic losses.

In the case of sorghum, the major problem is a lack of cultivars that (1) are early, (2) grow rapidly, (3) are of proper plant height, (4) are resistant to diseases, (5) have high yield potential and (6) …

Sorghum: A Substitute For Maize In The West Africa Poultry Industry, Intsormil

INTSORMIL Impacts and Bulletins

With the declining relative prices of chicken compared with other meats, poultry consumption per capita in the USA has been increasing, while that of other meats has been stagnant or declining. Similar developments are occurring in West Africa.

There is interest in substituting sorghum for maize in poultry rations, in the U.S. and in West Africa, for both broiler and egg production. In contrast to maize, which is a thirsty plant and requires large amounts of water, sorghum offers farmers the ability to grow a crop where other crops do not produce well. In Niger, West Africa, locally produced sorghum …

Sorghum: A Substitute For Maize In The Nicaraguan Poultry Industry, Intsormil

INTSORMIL Impacts and Bulletins

The coffee crisis brought widespread unemployment, poverty and hunger to parts of Nicaragua. In some regions, 33% of the area’s children suffer malnutrition and child mortality claims ten out of every thousand children. Partially, in response to the coffee crisis, there is interest in promoting the poultry industry in Nicaragua, and international aid agencies are assisting Nicaraguan farmers with poultry projects. For example, the Wisconsin/Nicaragua Partners of the Americas, Inc. is currently managing a poultry project in Nicaragua called Gallinas de Patio, or backyard chickens. The project provides material and technical assistance to Nicaraguan families, enabling them to successfully raise …

Sorghum: Nutritional Feed For U.S. And African Poultry, Intsormil

INTSORMIL Impacts and Bulletins

Grain sorghum, an important dryland crop in the Central Great Plains of the United States, is adapted to growing in areas where low and erratic rainfall and high temperatures limit production of other crops such as maize and soybeans. The United States is the largest producer of grain sorghum with 6 million acres devoted to production of this crop in 2005. Kansas produces more grain sorghum, commonly known as milo, than any other U.S. state. Kansas growers value sorghum because it performs well in many types of soils and weather. More than 80% of the sorghum produced in Kansas is …