Quality changes in farm-stored sorghum grain grown in the wet or dry season in southern India-a technical and social study

摘要

In the last 20 years, production and consumption of sorghum in parts of southern India have declined. To understand the factors responsible for this, a survey of postharvest practice was undertaken which included a participatory rural appraisal with farmers and sampling to test the quality of grain in their stores. Twelve villages were chosen which grow sorghum during the monsoon rains (kharif season) or after the rains (rabi season). The grain samples were taken from stores both before and after the monsoon, analysed for quality, and tested for mycotoxins. Overall, grain storage problems of farmers in southern India seem not to be a disincentive to sorghum cultivation. Both crops suffered mycotoxin contamination but this was below limits likely to represent a health hazard. Hybrid sorghum varieties, by virtue either of the season in which they grow or intrinsic characteristics, suffered considerable quality decline in storage, although this is clearly not an issue in the current scenario of farming practice. This does not mean that these traits are not impacting on the wider sorghum economy, but only that they are not impacting on the components of the sorghum production and utilisation system examined. A related project has shown a different picture for storage by wholesale traders and industrial users. So, while the current study has certainly laid to rest many concerns relating to farm storage, components of the utilisation chain where these factors now seem to be more critical remain to be studied in detail. In addition, if farmers in the future wish to retain stocks between seasons, in order to market grain strategically, then current practice may be inappropriate since grain quality at the end of the storage season was poor.