Agriculture and Environment: Sorghum

Environmental Impacts of Production: Fire Hazards

A wild species of sorghum, Sorghum halepense, has been known to create a fire hazard in natural ecosystems.

The biomass yield of grain sorghum is quite high. It has been measured at about 35 metric tons per hectare in southern Europe. This biomass is often burned by farmers and can be a fire threat at that time.

Sorghum Silage Effluent
Effluent from sorghum silage has a very high biochemical oxygen demand (BOD). If this effluent is allowed to enter natural watercourses, it can reduce oxygen levels so dramatically that it can kill many freshwater organisms. Thus, effluent from sorghum silage is an environmental hazard when allowed to enter a watercourse.