Sorghum is considered the fifth most important cereal grain in the world, as it is a staple food crop for 500 million people across 30 countries including Africa. It is primarily grown in India, Nigeria, Mexico, China, Argentina, Sudan and the U.S. Because of sorghum's significant iron and zinc content, it has been touted as one of the foods that could provide invaluable nutrition to starving nations in the world. It is often cooked as breakfast cereal, usually in the form of hot porridge, though it can also be turned into instant cereals by flaking, puffing, popping or shredding it. 

One of the key reasons sorghum is such an important crop is that it is naturally an extremely heat-tolerant plant, survive being grown in dry, hot locations and can adapt to sudden changes in climate. It's no wonder then the researchers are performing ambitious scientific studies on sorghum to eventually make the plant resistant to the effects of global warming. In fact, scientists have been able to map the genes of sorghum, a development that could lead to splicing the crops to increase their drought-tolerance. By sequencing genomes, scientists are able to determine which genes of a plant are capable of boosting yields, at which point they begin adding the good genes to other plants via plant breeding or genetic modification.

In the end it could mean a lot more crops would be available to feed more hungry mouths, as scientists now set their sites on sequencing genomes of corn, soybeans, wheat, barley, tomatoes and potatoes.

» Google