Fig. 1.

Sorghum plant morphology (A) and panicle and spikelet phenotypes of the five basic races (B). The race bicolor is the most primitive of the cultivated races and has upright semi-open panicles, with long and clasping glumes. Commercially cultivated sorghum tends to be a mixture of these major races. The race guinea originated in humid regions of West Africa and has open, elongated panicles, which helps decrease mold infection. Caudatum originated in eastern Africa and has panicles ranging from compact to open, with shorter, asymmetric, glumes that expose the grain. On the other hand, kafir, which originated in southern Africa, has tighter and longer panicles. Durras have compact panicles and originated in southern Sahara.