Origins and History of Domestication
Sorghum, scientifically known as Sorghum bicolor, is a versatile cereal grain that belongs to the grass family Poaceae. It is one of the world's oldest cultivated crops, dating back to ancient Africa and India. Sorghum is valued for its resilience in harsh environments, making it a staple crop in regions with limited rainfall and poor soil conditions.
Originally hailing from Inner Mongolia. Ba Ye Qi Sorghum (“Six Leaf Uniform”) is from the Nei Mongol autonomous region of northern China. This is one of the earliest sorghum varieties. In China, sorghum is also used to make beer and liquor. Sorghum is grown in diverse climates, ranging from arid to tropical regions. It thrives in areas with hot temperatures and low rainfall, making it suitable for cultivation in semi-arid and dryland regions. It is an important crop in parts of Africa, Asia, the Americas, and Australia.
Ba Ye Qi Sorghum is a grain sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) shared as an heirloom-type selection from Inner Mongolia (Nei Mongol), northern China, and is often described as early maturing compared with many other sorghums. Sorghum as a crop has far deeper roots: the best-supported archaeobotanical and genetic evidence places sorghum domestication in northeast/east Africa (the eastern Sahel / eastern Sudan region), followed by spread across Africa and into Asia through long-distance trade and farming migrations over millennia. In China, sorghum became a major grain and is also widely used in alcohol production, which helps explain why distinctive regional sorghums—like Ba Ye Qi—were maintained and selected for reliability and maturity timing.
Appearance and Characteristics
Ba Ye Qi grows with a corn-like habit—upright stalks and broad leaves—until the seed head (panicle) emerges at the top. Growers often note a slightly silver-green cast to the foliage compared with corn when the two are side-by-side. As it ripens, Ba Ye Qi is commonly described as a red sorghum, with seed heads shifting toward brownish-red as kernels mature. Like many sorghums, it’s valued for tolerance of heat and lower moisture, and it can perform well even where soils are less-than-ideal, especially compared with corn.
Culinary Uses
Ba Ye Qi’s grain can be used much like other food sorghums: the whole kernels can be cooked and served similarly to rice, and the grain can be ground into flour for baking and porridges. Sorghum flour is naturally gluten-free, and many cooks use it in breads, pancakes, and cookies (often blended with other flours for texture).
Growing Tips
Treat Ba Ye Qi as a warm-season annual grain. Plant after your last frost once soils are warming and your weather has settled into consistently warm days; sorghum thrives with heat and sun and is commonly grown in dryland and semi-arid conditions. For home gardens, good results typically come from spacing plants so they can root and stand firmly (think “corn-like” culture), while still allowing enough airflow to reduce disease pressure; in blocks/rows, sorghum also stands up better to wind. If birds are common in your area, expect increased pecking as heads approach maturity; some growers find that looser panicles can be harder for birds to perch on, and timely harvest is important.
Sowing Depth
Sow Ba Ye Qi shallow. Practical grower guidance consistently recommends about 1.5–2 inches deep or less, emphasizing that sorghum does not tolerate deep planting well.
Harvesting Guidance
For grain, let the heads dry down on the stalk until they turn brown/red and kernels feel firm; for Ba Ye Qi specifically, wait until the heads are mostly brownish-red before harvesting. Cut mature seed heads, and if needed, dry them a few more days under cover with good airflow. For small-scale processing, a simple method is to rub or roll the heads against a screen (e.g., hardware cloth) so kernels drop through, then winnow (pouring grain between containers in front of a fan or breeze) to remove chaff.
SORGHUM GROWING GUIDE
