Sorghum production in China is mainly used for grain, feed, sugar and technology. Sorghum seeds have been one of human rations since ancient times. In some rural areas in northern China, sorghum is still the staple food; Due to the change of modern diet structure, sorghum is favored by people as a coarse grain. Northeast China is used to processing grains into sorghum rice to eat; The Yellow River basin is used to grinding grains into flour and making various kinds of pasta with unique flavor. In addition, people also like to eat all kinds of sticky cakes made of waxy sorghum flour. However, the nutritional value of sorghum rice (flour) is not as good as that of rice and flour, because the digestible alkali-soluble protein content in sorghum rice (flour) is less than that of rice and flour, while the indigestible alcohol-soluble protein is more than that of rice and flour. In addition, the amino acid composition of protein in sorghum grain is unbalanced, and the contents of lysine and tryptophan necessary for human body are low, while the contents of leucine and isoleucine are too high, which need further improvement.

When sorghum grains are used as feed for livestock and poultry, their feeding value is similar to that of corn. Moreover, because sorghum seeds contain tannin, adding about 10% sorghum seeds to the compound feed can effectively prevent white dysentery of young livestock and young birds. In recent years, the production of forage sorghum has shown great development potential, and its stems and leaves have high feeding value as green feed, silage with grain or hay after harvest.

Sorghum is a treasure with high comprehensive utilization value. Sorghum seeds can be used as raw materials for brewing wine to produce liquor, alcohol, vinegar, beverages and so on. Sweet sorghum stalks can be used to make sugar, syrup and alcohol; Extracting natural pigment from sorghum shell; Straw is made into board and paper, and pulp is processed into edible fiber; Sorghum wax powder is processed into high temperature resistant wax. In sorghum producing areas, sorghum stalks are usually used as house baskets, ceilings, partitions and curtains for drying cotton. In vegetable producing areas, sorghum stalks are used as windbreaks; In some areas, straw skins are used to weave mats, ear necks are used to make curtains and pot covers, and ear stems are used to make brooms and cooking brooms.

In China, the brewing of sorghum liquor from sorghum seeds has a long history and high technological level. Maotai, Luzhou Laojiao Tequ, Wuliangye and Fenjiu, which are well-known at home and abroad, are all brewed with sorghum seeds, which not only become local pillar industries, but also can be exported to earn foreign exchange. Distiller's grains, a by-product of wine making, are still high-quality feed. In a word, sorghum processing is widely used and has great potential for rolling appreciation.

China is short of water resources, especially in arid, semi-arid and saline-alkali areas in the north, so it is of great significance to develop sorghum production in these areas. The transpiration coefficient of sorghum is 250 ~ 300, which is smaller than that of rice (400 ~ 800), wheat (270 ~ 600) and corn (250 ~ 450). The blight coefficient of sorghum is 5.9, which is also smaller than that of corn (6.5) and wheat (6.3). Sorghum can tolerate 0.5% ~ 0.9% or even higher salt concentration, while wheat and corn can only tolerate 0.3% ~ 0.6% and 0.3% ~ 0.7% salt concentration. Therefore, the stress resistance of sorghum is better than that of the above crops.

In addition, sorghum has strong heterosis, and there is a "three-line" or "two-line" guarantee system to achieve strong heterosis. The organic combination of high photosynthetic efficiency and strong heterosis greatly improved the yield of sorghum.