sugar content in sorghum stalks

how would you go about selecting for sweetness in sorghum stalks

Taste each stalk. Saving and Replanting seeds only from the sweetest plants.

Or do the same thing by measuring BRIX with a reflectometer,.

Or do a mix... Screening most plants by taste, and using the reflectometer to assign a score only to the sweetest. Write the score on the seed packet for each plant.

For quicker progress, plant the seeds out in sibling groups. Score entire sibling groups for sweetnesses before saving seeds.

I started a landrace of sweet sorghum last year and was a bit disappointed that none of the stalks I chewed on tasted very sweet. I put in about six or so different kinds, all described as being sweet. One variety as I recall was called Sugar Drip, so I expected it to be sweet tasting, but it just wasn't. I'm wondering if there is a specific time in the growth cycle that the sweetness is more pronounced. For now, I'm more concerned with establishing a diverse mix, but I'm not sure how easily it crosses.

I got a lot of seed so will grow it again this year and research more about how and when to process it for sugar later on. It does grow very well here, getting quite a bit larger than I had expected.

I remember when I was a kid going with my dad to a place where they processed local grown sorghum to make molasses, so I know it can be done here. That place had some kind of a grinding press powered by horses. I remember seeing big wagons of it and I think, it was still at a very green stage, but it was a long time ago.  I think they cooked it down there too. Mostly I just remember visiting with the horses and how good the molasses tasted.

I'll have to figure out a smaller scale, human powered technique.

That’s what I was thinking also Joseph but since the sugar is highest at dough stage tasting the stalk would kill it before there was viable seed. But I’m guessing whatever is the sweetest when more mature would have had higher sugar to begin with correct?

dylan sell wrote:That’s what I was thinking also Joseph but since the sugar is highest at dough stage tasting the stalk would kill it before there was viable seed. But I’m guessing whatever is the sweetest when more mature would have had higher sugar to begin with correct?

Would the base of a leaf work for tasting? That shouldn't kill the stalk if you're careful.