Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench.) is an important crop for human consumption and animal fodder in many areas of the world where semi-arid conditions prevail, including Africa, Asia, and the Americas. In 1994 sorghum was grown on 4.37 x 10~7 ha worldwide, which compares with 3.77 x 10~7 ha for pearl millet, the other major cereal grown in the semi-arid tropics (FAO Agrostat-PC, 1991-1996). The sorghum plant has good drought tolerance and produces a yield where other crops such as maize may succumbdue to lack of moisture. Sorghum is also an ancient crop, having been cultivated for at least the last 5000 years. It was probably originally domesticated in northeastern Africa (Mann et al. 1983).
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机译：高粱（Sorghum bicolor L. Moench。）是半干旱条件盛行的世界许多地区（包括非洲，亚洲和美洲）的一种重要的人类食用和动物饲料作物。 1994年，高粱在全球的种植面积为4.37 x 10〜7公顷，而在半干旱热带地区种植的另一种主要谷物珍珠粟则为3.77 x 10〜7公顷（粮农组织Agrostat-PC，1991-1996年）。高粱植物具有良好的抗旱性，并且在玉米等其他农作物因缺乏水分而屈服的情况下，可产生高产。高粱也是一种古老的农作物，至少在过去的5000年中一直栽培。它可能最初是在非洲东北部驯化的（Mann等，1983）。
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