agricultural & life skills project - naledi3d factory · 2009-07-07 · agricultural & life...

Agricultural & Life Skills

Project ~

Module:

Cereals - Sorghum as a crop

~

Localisation documentation

March 2009

Grant No. P3002256

VR in Africa – for Africa – by Africa

The Naledi3d Factory (Pty) Ltd

The Innovation Centre PO Box 30

Innovation Hub Pretoria / Tshwane South Africa 0187 Tel. (012) 844 1010

082 894 3178 [email protected]

www.naledi3d.com

Contents

1 BACKGROUND............................................................................................................................1

1.1 RURAL SKILLS – MAIN OUTCOMES ...........................................................................................2 1.2 APPLICABLE LIFE SKILLS (GENERAL) .......................................................................................2 1.3 TARGET AUDIENCE & APPLICATION .........................................................................................2 1.4 CONTEXT ..................................................................................................................................2 1.5 NAVIGATION MENU ..................................................................................................................5

2 SORGHUM – PLANT CHARACTERISTICS...........................................................................6

2.1 USAGE.......................................................................................................................................6 2.2 BACKGROUND INFORMATION ...................................................................................................6

3 SORGHUM - ORIGINS AND DIVERSITY...............................................................................8

3.1 USAGE.......................................................................................................................................8 3.2 BACKGROUND INFORMATION ...................................................................................................8

4 SORGHUM AS A FOOD SOURCE ..........................................................................................10

4.1 USAGE.....................................................................................................................................10 4.2 BACKGROUND INFORMATION .................................................................................................11

5 SORGHUM - PLANTING FOR SUCCESS .............................................................................12

5.1 USAGE.....................................................................................................................................12 5.2 BACKGROUND INFORMATION .................................................................................................13 5.3 SORGHUM VS MAIZE ..............................................................................................................14

6 SORGHUM - YIELDS................................................................................................................16

6.1 USAGE.....................................................................................................................................16 6.2 BACKGROUND INFORMATION .................................................................................................17 6.3 SORGHUM YIELDS IN TERMS OF FERTILIZER, CLIMATE, SOIL AND RAINFALL.........................17 6.4 POSSIBLE GROUP DISCUSSION QUESTIONS..............................................................................18

7 TEXT TO TRANSLATE ............................................................................................................19

8 AUDIO TO TRANSLATE..........................................................................................................33

8.1 NARRATION ............................................................................................................................33 8.2 COMPRESSION DATA....................................................................................................................33

8.3 AUDIO FILE CONTENT .............................................................................................................33

ANNEXURE 1: HOW TO LOCALISE I3DLO’S – A SUMMARY..........................................38

THE BASICS:..........................................................................................................................................38

REPLACING TEXT TEXTURES: ....................................................................................................................38

REPLACING AUDIO FILES:.........................................................................................................................40

ANNEXURE 2: LINKING I3DLO’S TO POWERPOINT.............................................................41

ANNEXURE 3: GENERAL INFORMATION ................................................................................42

SIMULATION VIEWER - INSTALLATION .............................................................................................42 COMPUTER SPECIFICATIONS ..............................................................................................................42 MOUSE USAGE ...................................................................................................................................42 TROUBLESHOOTING...........................................................................................................................43

i3dlo_SORGHUM_localisation_final.doc Page 1

08 July 2009

Sorghum i3dlo’s - LOCALISATION DOCUMENTATION

1 Background

Funding agency W K Kellogg Foundation (Grant number P3002256)

Project partners This project has two main partners, World Links who focus on the

testing of localisation procedures, translating the material into

commonly used Zimbabwean languages as well as downstream

implementation through their community centre network; and the

Naledi3d Factory, responsible for the visual content development

This i3dlo forms part of a rural development and farming skills development project that

addresses the following:

• Help rural communities better understand and, therefore, be better empowered to

address local issues that impact on rural development – and in this case, focusing on

agricultural and other life-skills development in a way that modernises local practice,

without necessarily westernising these practices

• Demonstrate the use of VR-based learning content and especially the use of

Interactive3d Learning Objects (i3dlo’s) as a new, innovative visually interactive

communication / learning medium in the African context

• Implement agricultural capacity building, to be achieved through focused community-

based training workshops

• Transfer of skills to further “localise” Interactive3d Learning Objects.

Sorghum as a cereal crop is a large subject area and therefore the material was separated

into five individual interactive3d learning objects, as follows:

• Sorghum - plant characteristics

• Sorghum - origins and diversity

• Sorghum as a food source

• Sorghum - planting for success

• Sorghum - yields

� For a background and history to this i3dlo, refer to Section 1 below

� If you want to get to the technical localisation detail of the i3dlo - go to Sections 2 (text translation) and 3 (audio translation). Please note that some of the text translation is undertaken through editing JScript files. For more on this, see Section 2.

� If you want to brush up on how to localise an Interactive3d learning object - go to Annexure 1

� To see how to embed an i3dlo into your PowerPoint presentation, refer to Annexure 2

� For general information on computer requirements, usage etc, refer to Annexure 3


08 July 2009

Note: an associated interactive3d learning object is also available that addresses pests,

including common pests that can affect Sorghum crops.

1.1 Rural skills – main outcomes

• Enable users to recognise & identify the main sorghum cultivars

• Understanding how and when to plant sorghum

• Understanding the sorghum growth cycle

• Help people to identify the main pests that attack sorghum and the typical

treatment and control mechanisms

• Knowing about the field preparation for a Sorghum crop

• Identification of the key characteristics and yield of sorghum

• Understanding the different uses for sorghum, particularly its application as a food

source

1.2 Applicable life skills (general)

A principal project goal is to develop competence-based learning material that will help to

empower rural people and to stimulate their minds in a way so that they can fill in the detail

using their own local knowledge.

Thus, the learning material should (1) Inspire; (2) Stretch; (3) Develop self-confidence; in

such a way that we can (4) Modernise, without necessarily Westernising.

1.3 Target audience & application

The i3dlo simulations developed as part of this project are directed at functionally (semi)

illiterate people in rural communities who are (or plan to) working in small-holding farming

activities.

The i3dlo’s are suited for use as part of skills development workshops where they are

embedded and used with other training material – where they can for example be

embedded into PowerPoint presentations (see Annexure 2).

They will typically be used by farm extensions services, local community centre training staff,

or as in the case of this project, directly by organisations such as World Links Zimbabwe, who

are “training the trainers” as well as farmers in local, rural communities.

1.4 Context

Cereals are a staple food in many developing nations.

Sorghum is one of the most important cereal crops

grown in the world. Globally, sorghum produces

approximately 70 million metric tons of grain from

about 50 million hectares of land. It is the dietary

staple of more than 500 million people in more than

30 countries. Only rice, wheat, maize, and potatoes

surpass it in feeding the human race.


08 July 2009

In fact, it is so important that 90% of the world’s sorghum is produced in developing

countries, mainly Africa and Asia. 74% of the sorghum produced in Africa is used in the

home.

However, sorghum produces only a fraction of its potential. Not does it receive inadequate

attention for the world's fifth major crop, it is under-supported considering its vast and

untapped potential.

Sorghum is, however, a marvel of nature. It can grow in both temperate and tropical zones

and is one of the quickest maturing food plants on earth. In fact certain types can mature in

as little as 75 days and can provide three harvests a year! In addition, sorghum thrives in

marginal conditions. It can withstand very high rainfall and can also endure hot and dry

conditions. It is also extremely versatile. It can be turned into beer, baked into flatbread,

turned into porridge, used for forage, etc.

These sorghum i3dlo’s are part of an attempt to give sorghum the rightful attention that it

deserves. By teaching people about sorghum, how it grows, how hardy it is and what it can

produce we hope to encourage its cultivation as part of improving food security across Africa

and further afield.

Some other relevant information resources also include (and also used in the design of these

i3dlo’s):

• 05chapter.pdf

• 127.pdf – 214.pdf

• 172 simplified classification of sorghum.pdf

• Agriculture and Environment – Sorghum.doc

• AGRO-PASTORAL SORGHUM FARMING SYSTEM.docx

• app_c agro-eco diversity, production systems etc.pdf

• BEST DEVELOPMENT TECHNIQUES AND APPROACHES FOR AGRICULTURAL

IMPROVEMENT IN THE SAHEL.docx

• c687 grain sorghum production handbook.pdf

• CR-580 DROUGHT STRATEGIES FOR CORN AND SORGHUM.pdf

• CSS330_Centers_of%20_Diversity.pdf

• CSS330_Global_Food_Security.pdf (Only for Resource section)

• CSS330_Maize production and utilization.pdf

• CSS330_Sorghum.pdf

• Domestication to Crop Improvement- Genetic Resources for Sorghum and

Saccharum.docx

• Energy from Crops - university of florida.docx

• Ergot--a Global Disease Threat to Sorghum.docx

• fbei-sorghum production in the USA.pdf

• Fertilization of Agronomic Crops - university of florida.docx

• Fertilizer Calibration icrisat.docx

• Fertilizing and Liming Forage Crops - university of florida.docx

• fn009_2002 forage sorghum growing in Australia.pdf

• Forage Planting and Establishment Methods - university of florida.docx

• g1669.pdf

• Grain Drying and Storage on Florida Farms - university of florida.docx

• Grain Sorghum Irrigation B-6152.pdf


08 July 2009

• Grain Sorghum Production Guide.pdf

• Example reference nomenclature…. Principles of planning vegetable production,

Fabeon Chigumira Ngwerume, Self-study guide, Swedish Cooperative Centre, Harare


08 July 2009

1.5 Navigation menu

Sorghum as a cereal crop is a large subject area and therefore the material to be addresses

was separated into five individual i3dlo’s, as follows:

• Sorghum - plant characteristics

• Sorghum - origins and diversity

• Sorghum as a food source

• Sorghum - planting for success

• Sorghum - yields

Note that Sorghum pests were addressed separately in an i3dlo entitled “The identification

and control of pests”.

Each of the above simulations typically places the user in an environment that is contextually

relevant – in a field of sorghum for example - or in a kitchen in the case of “Sorghum as a

food source”.

In each case, after the “splash screen” clears, an introduction to the topic gives a brief

background to the i3dlo, after which the main menu is presented. Selecting (clicking) on the

desired menu buttons launches the respective sub-simulation.

More information on each of the above five topics is given in the following sections.


08 July 2009

2 Sorghum – plant characteristics

2.1 Usage

Seeds: The simulation starts by showing

images of different types of sorghum seeds

as a way of getting an idea of comparative

types and sizes required when planting. The

learner is then shown a two-dimensional

sheet where the un-identified seeds of

different crops are displayed (maize, wheat,

sorghum, rice). The user must drag these

seeds onto the relevant place marker on

the screen to correctly identify the seed.

Root structure: The user is presented with

the root structures of four plants that he or

she has to match to the corresponding plant in the field by clicking on a cube in the relevant

part of the field.

Height: The varying adult heights of the sorghum plant are shown and a standard male is

shown next to each plant to provide a familiar scale.

Lifetime until harvest: This part of the simulation shows the life cycle development of the

Sorghum plant from planting right through to flowering stage. The user is presented with a

speeded up growth process that shows the plant at key intervals.

2.2 Background information

Seeds: When sowing, one typically sows 30kg/ha for maize and 10kg/ha

for sorghum – depending on the soil and climate (which can go as low as 3

– 5 kg/ha for sorghum).

Sorghum seed is round, between 4 and 8 mm in diameter. Colour can vary

from white, to yellow, red, orange and brown. Brown-seeded types

normally higher in tannins which make them less palatable.

Root structure: For a plant with such a modest leaf area, sorghum’s

roots are huge. This underground “survival root” seeks out

moisture deep in the soil, equipping the crop for good growth in

semi-arid climates. The resulting ability to yield grain under dry

conditions makes sorghum a crucial tool in the fight against world

hunger.

The image opposite shows how the sorghum roots grow deep into

the soil – with a deep taproot and with finely branched lateral

roots. Generally sorghum roots have a single stem but can also tiller

profusely.


08 July 2009

Height: Plant height is an indicator of health, and is a function of rainfall, daily temperatures

and soil type:

Depending on the species and local condition, the plant height can range from 0.5metre to 6

metres. Dwarfing genes in some species lead to heights of 2 – 4 ft. (0.6 to 1.2 metres)

Rainfall – optimal is 800m annual rainfall, (23 – 25 inches)

Temperature – 21 degree Celsius is optimal

Climate includes dry, hot, semi-arid, tropical and sunny

regions (1000m above sea level), 30 deg Celsius is optimal

but tolerant of higher temperatures (grows well even if air

temp is 45 degrees Celsius, but if soil temperature above 50

degrees Celsius then the plant doesn’t do well. The plant is

not tolerant of the cold climates.

Soil composition, pH of 5 – 8.5, soil type, good drainage

needed, etc – though can grow in heavy clay or light and

sandy soils.

Currently in Africa, the average yield is around 700kg/ha or

10 bushels/acre.

Lifetime until harvest: Sorghum typically takes approximately three months from planting to

the adult flowering stage when harvesting can commence.


08 July 2009

3 Sorghum - origins and diversity

3.1 Usage

This component looks at the origins and

cultivars of the sorghum plant, within a

historical context.

Origins:

The user is presented with a 3D globe,

which is used to show how sorghum spread

from continent to continent. The user must

click on a flickering on-screen icon to see

how sorghum cultivation spread from one

region to the next.

Popup screens appear identifying the

various regions where Sorghum was cultivated together with the corresponding periods in

history.

Dominant cultivars:

The user is presented with a menu from which he or she can access text-based information

about the most significant Sorghum cultivars that are produced in Africa and elsewhere.


Origins: Sorghum was domesticated in Africa around 3,000 BC, probably in a region south of

the Sahara and north of the equator, i.e. in the North eastern regions of Africa, where a

large variety of wild and cultivated species can still be found. Ethiopia can be considered to

be one centre of diversity for sorghum (but not the sole centre of origin or diversity.) From

there it spread along trade and shipping routes round Africa and through Arabia around

1000 to 800 BC, and into India during the 1st century AD, as well as China along the Silk Road

in the 3rd century, AD. Sorghum was introduced to the US with the slave trade in the late

1700s from West Africa, from where it also spread to the rest of the North and South

America; and from there, it spread to Australia.

Refer to Domestication to Crop Improvement- Genetic Resources for Sorghum and

Saccharum.docx.

Dominant cultivars: In total, globally, 31 species, 157 varieties, 571 cultivated forms can be

found. Nearly all of the sorghum in the US is of the dwarf types that can be readily harvested

with a combine and is used almost exclusively for animal feed, either as grain or as forage. In

the developing world, most of the harvested crop is used for human consumption.

Cultivated sorghums (all annual and domesticated types are referred to as bicolor or

sometimes vulgare) are divided worldwide into 7 basic races (agronomic types):

• Kafir or caffrorum (S. Africa) - short plants

• Milo-Caudatums (E. Africa and central Africa), originated in Kenya/ Ethiopia -

Chasmopodium caudatum


08 July 2009

• Feterita-Guineas (Sudan, W. And Central Africa) (sweet corn or Guinea corn)

• Durra (East Africa, Middle East and India), originated in Ethiopia and the Horn

• Shallu (India)

• Koaliang (China)

• Hegari (Sudan)

Sorghum currently is planted in about 8% of Africa’s land area (about 24 million ha). For

more information, refer to app_c agro-eco diversity, production systems etc.pdf

The extent to which Africa stands to benefit form

sorghum research can be seen from the map

opposite. The crop is perhaps the continent’s most

widespread and important staple. Beyond the fact

that yields can be raised above the present average,

sorghum’s adaptation to a wide range of ecological

conditions is an enormous asset.


08 July 2009

4 Sorghum as a food source

4.1 Usage

When first loading the simulation, the user is taken

into a kitchen area. The main menu provides access to

two sections, i.e. Food (various sorghum based food

products that one can buy or prepare) & how to make

Sorghum beer.

Food: The user must move through the kitchen area

and click on 13 different food related items to obtain

more information. Accompanying audio clips explain

which type of products can be prepared from

sorghum:

• A small pot on the stove contains popcorn

made from sorghum

• A large pot on the stove contains stiff porridge

made from sorghum

• A pack of Sorghum flower on the kitchen table

• Dough balls on the kitchen table

• A recipe book containing a recipe for Sorghum cake

• A calendar on the wall containing an image of Sorghum flatbread

• Ripe Sorghum heads on the kitchen table – clicking in them opens a nutrients table

where the user must guess the correct content percentage for each nutrient and

then click on a button to display the correct values.

• A bottle of Sorghum syrup on the table

• A plate with Sorghum pancakes

• A plate containing Sorghum cookies

• Thin Sorghum porridge in a bowl on the kitchen table

• A bottle of Sorghum wine

Making beer: An on-screen arrow indicates which items to click on in the kitchen to see

the step-by-step process of making Sorghum beer (accompanied by audio clips and text

popups ):

1. The first step is malting, i.e. soaking the grain in water and then leaving it to germinate

2. After germination, you dry the sprouted grain

3. Next - grind the grains to a coarse powder

4. Mix some of the ground up grain with cold water and the rest with boiling water

5. Add the two preparations together and let it stand

6. After a day you can drink the preparation but there is no alcohol present yet as the

fermentation process is not yet complete (this is sometimes drunk by children)

7. You can drink the beverage as an alcoholic beer after 4 – 5 days.

Reference: Taylor. The importance of sorghum in Africa.pdf (P 14)


08 July 2009


White sorghum is grown mainly for porridge, but is also used in beer-making as well as a

stock feed. Red sorghum is mainly grown for the brewing of beer.

Some typical foods made from Sorghum include:

• Chapati (“injera” in Ethiopia) – a flat bread made from tef and sorghum flour (from Taylor.

The importance of sorghum in Africa.pdf)

• stiff porridge (“toh” or “ugali”)

• thin porridge (“uji”)

• dough balls (“dawa” in Ethiopia) - made from sorghum flour

• eaten like sweetcorn - harvest the whole seedhead/ panicle while still soft and roast

over open coals (India)

• cooked dehulled (or debranned / decorticated) grains - like rice

• pancakes

• biscuits made from sorghum flour

• cake

• unleavened bread

• couscous

• wine

• popcorn

• syrup

• molasses

The stalks can be used fencing, firewood, mats, toys, mulching and thatch.

Sorghum has to be cooked to 70 degrees for it to be edible.

Nutritionally, sorghum contains 9% protein (1-2 % more than maize), lower than maize in fat

content by 1- 2 %; 70% carbohydrate; 12% protein; 3% fat; 2% fibre; 1.5% ash and moisture.

Tanins (present to discourage bird damage) are removed in the de-hulling process.

Nutrient Per 100 g

Serving Sorghum Corn HRW Wheat Durum Wheat

Total Calories 339 365 327 339

Calories from Fat 29.70 42.66 13.86 22.23

Total Fat (g) 3.30 4.74 1.54 2.47

Saturated Fat (g) 0.457 0.667 0.269 0.454

Protein (g) 11.3 9.42 12.61 13.68

Source: From USDA on National Sorghum Producers’ website


08 July 2009

5 Sorghum - planting for success

5.1 Usage

This simulation shows what happens to the

Sorghum plant from the point at which the

seed has been planted, through the various

growth phases, until it reaches maturity.

The i3dlo also looks at the correct

techniques for land preparation and

planting.

Planting:

• The user clicks on the “Make

Furrows” button in order to make

furrows a hand deep and one metre

apart in the environment.

• The user presses the space bar to sprinkle a cold drink can of fertilizer for every 14

metres of furrow

• The furrow “closes” automatically

• The user must click on the hand in the scene to make lines (half an index finger

deep) where the seeds will be sown

• The seed is planted automatically - use two matchboxes of seed for every 14 metres

Growth:

This i3dlo addresses the various stages of plant growth, from the seed stage to when it is

ready for harvest. (Note: harvesting is not addressed):

• The user clicks on the “Growth” button in the main menu – a button with an image of a

“seed” on it appears, which, when clicked shows the germination process that lasts for

the first 30 to 35 days

• When the germination process is complete the user is presented with a button with an

image of a “seedling” on it which, when clicked , shows the development of the

Sorghum plant to the seedling stage

• When the seedling stage has been reached the user clicks on the “Juvenile” button to

see the plant grow to its Juvenile stage (next 30-35 days)

• After the juvenile stage has been reached, the user clicks on the “Adult” button to see

the plant grow to a full adult plant (next 30-35 days). The camera then zooms out to

show an entire field of adult sorghum plants

• At this stage it becomes vitally important to protect the plants from pests such as birds

and cutworm. The user is now presented with two buttons. The first contains the image

of a scarecrow – the user clicks on it to see how a scarecrow can be positioned to scare

away birds. The second button contains the image of a cutworm – the user clicks on the

button to see a cutworm eating away at the adult Sorghum plant

• Finally the pre-harvest grain filling stage is shown automatically without user

intervention


08 July 2009


Planting:

Good land preparation is important for the following reasons:

• Conserve moisture by increasing water filtration and reduced runoff – increasing the

amount of moisture in the soil, which also lessens crop failure during drought or low

rainfall

• Improve conditions for seed germination and emergence of the young plant

• Loosen the soil to improve root penetration and development

• To expose pests and weeds, which then die due to exposure to heat and sunlight or

collected and eaten by birds.

Land preparation – conventional - the soil should be ploughed to a depth of 25-30 cm. One

of the main reasons for fields not being ploughed correctly is due to ploughs not being set

correctly.

Land preparation – reduced tillage Reduced tillage is not a common practice but is of value

where problems with drought occur because it reduces the number of tillage operations on

a given piece of land, with the following advantages:

• Reduced machinery costs

• Reduced labour costs

• Reduced erosion and increased infiltration rates

• Reduced soil compaction

Make the furrows a hand depth and a metre apart (can be anything between 70 cm and a

metre apart). If using mechanized harvesting methods, the distance between rows should

match that of the harvester). Sprinkle a cold-drink can of fertilizer (3:2:1) for every 14m of

furrow and then close it up again. Make lines in the furrows half an index finger deep and

sprinkle about 2 matchboxes of seeds for every 14m. Optimum planting depth is about 1

inch deep for heavier soils and 2 inches or 4 – 5 cm for sandy soils.

Planting should be timed so that flowering avoids the hottest, driest period of summer.

Sorghum can be grown in spring, summer and autumn until the first frost.

Forage Sorghum can be rotated with other cereals, legumes, pastures, fallow, oil seeds and

cover crops.

Growth

• Germination (1st

30-35 days)

• Growth to full plant (next 30-35 days)

• Final growth to harvest.

The sorghum plant takes between 90 and 120 days to mature, with the boot stage after 50 -

60 days; and the flowering stage following 60 – 70 days later.

Planting, should take place typically in spring or early summer after the first rains – and

between 2 and 12 kg of seed per ha are normally sown.

Seeding requirements can be around 8-15kg seed per Ha for both forage and grain sorghum;

with yields being between 300 – 2000 kg per Ha.


08 July 2009

The soil temperature should be around 18.5 deg Celsius at seeding depth, but planting can

also take place as low as 16 deg Celsius (though the seedling will then take longer to

emerge). Quick germination and emergence occur when the soil temperature is about 21

degrees Celsius. Soil temperature can be easily measured with a normal thermometer.

The seedlings take about 30 – 35 days to germinate and reach the soil surface. During these

first days leaves are formed and the plant will have taken up 10 – 15 % of the nutrients it will

use during the entire growth cycle, even though it has only completed 5% of its total growth.

In the next 30 – 35 days, the plant grows rapidly, producing much of the leaf area, the head

and the stalk. First the lower portion of the stalk grows, pushing the head up into the flag

leaf sheath into the boot stage. Then the upper stalk (peduncle) grows rapidly, pushing the

head out of the flag leaf sheath where flowering and pollination can occur. If this does not

happen fully the head will not fully emerge from the sheath, not be fully pollinated or may

cause problems at harvest).

Next flowering begins - the plant now has developed half

its weight at maturity and will have taken up 60 – 70 % of

total nutrient requirements.

The final stage is the grain-filling period where total

energy of the plant goes into the grain development. This

involves moving material that was stored in the stalk into

the grain and taking up the remaining 30% of nutrients.

Physiological maturity occurs when the grain no longer increases in dry weight, but this is

not harvest maturity because the grain moisture is still too high (25 – 40%). The grain must

dry considerably before it can be harvested.

Soil moisture during growth should be 50% and between 70 and 1250 seeds are formed per

sorghum head.

The earlier varieties ripen after 75 days while the late varieties require 120 to 150 days

(which also tend to be used as fodder varieties in the Sahel). Fodder millet must be cut

before flowering otherwise the stem lignifies and loses its nutritional value. Fodder millet

may be more profitable than grain millet

For more information, refer to:

• Sorghum Growth Stage Development.docx

• c687 grain sorghum production handbook.pdf


• Grain Sorghum Irrigation B-6152.pdf.

• Grain Sorghum Irrigation B-6152.pdf (for the various stages and impact of irrigation)


5.3 Sorghum vs Maize

Advantages of sorghum compared to maize:

• Sorghum is drought tolerant, growing well in areas where maize would not perform well.

• Self-pollinated, produces head over longer time period

• A drought of short duration is less damaging to sorghum at flowering


08 July 2009

• Plasticity in response to environment (head size and tillering vary in response to

moisture conditions)

• Maize is more dependent on planting density

• Foliage resists drying (waxy leaves and less water loss than maize)

Sorghum is well adapted to high temperatures, low soil fertility and lower rainfall, yet

growth is very similar to maize.

Disadvantages of sorghum compared to maize:

• Tannins, phenols in grain

• Need to process, crush and cook, for maximum benefit

• Outcrosses readily with shatter-cane and Johnson-grass

• Lower economic return expected from lower value, often a subsistence crop

• Maize matures in 3 – 12 months, and Sorghum in 3 – 5 months.


08 July 2009

6 Sorghum - yields

6.1 Usage

This i3dlo looks at crop yield in terms of how

yield is affected by temperature, climate &

fertilizer.

In some respects, this simulation overlaps

with the “Sorghum Characteristics” i3dlo,

but in this case, the focus is on crop yield -

and the main parameters that can influence

yield. The user is presented with three

buttons on the main menu:

Rainfall:

Sorghum can tolerate conditions of limited

moisture and still grow well during periods of extended drought. However, Sorghum

produces yields comparable to that of Maize with good rainfall. The user is presented with

three buttons, each containing, respectively, the image of the sun, a maize hut and rainfall.

• Clicking on the “Sun” button shows the effect of excessive heat on the crop

• Clicking on the “Rain” button shows falling rain

• Clicking on the “Maize Hut/Sorghum” button takes the user to two maize/sorghum

storage huts, one containing harvested Sorghum and the other Maize. The user must

click on the slider to see what the effect of rain and temperature are on the yield of the

two crops. The content of the two maize huts increases and decreases as the user moves

the slider.

Temperature:

Sorghum requires temperatures of 27 to 30 degrees Celsius for optimum growth and yield.

Exceptionally high temperatures can cause a decrease in yield, and temperatures below 0

degrees may kill the plant. The user is presented with three buttons:

• Clicking on the “Sun” button shows the effect of excessive heat on the crop

• Clicking on the “Cold” button shows the effect of cold on the crop

• Clicking on the “Maize/Sorghum storage Hut” button takes the user to two maize huts,

one containing harvested Sorghum and the other Maize. The user must click on the

slider to see what the effect of heat and cold are on the yield of the two crops. The

content of the two maize huts increases and decreases as the user moves the slider from

cold to heat and heat to cold respectively.

Fertiliser:

The yield potential of any crop may be limited by a lack of nutrients. Fertilisers replace lost

nutrients in the soil. Animal manure can also be a valuable source of nutrients.

The user is presented with a bag of fertiliser and a pile of manure.

• Clicking on the bag of fertiliser results in “fertiliser” being added to a sorghum plant

with an accompanying increase in the size of the plant


08 July 2009

• Clicking on the pile of manure results in “manure ” being added to a sorghum plant with

an accompanying increase in the size of the plant

• Hit the “Reset” button to return to the initial state

• Clicking on the “Maize/Sorghum storage Hut” button takes the user to two maize huts,

one containing harvested Sorghum and the other Maize. The user is presented with two

sliders, i.e. one for manure and the other for fertiliser. The user must click on these

sliders to see what the impact of an increase of manure and fertiliser will be on the yield

of the two crops. The content of the two storage huts increases and decreases as the

user moves the sliders forwards and backwards


Some basic facts and figures (fbei-sorghum production in the USA.pdf):

• 58 Mt pa, grown on about 44 million ha and in 99 countries and a staple food source for

500 million people in 30+ countries worldwide (2004-05).

• 80% of sorghum globally is produced by subsistence farmers.

• Principal producing countries (by weight, 2000): United States, India, Nigeria, Mexico,

Argentina, China, Sudan and Australia.

• Principal exporting countries (2000): United States, Argentina, France and Sudan.

• Principal importing countries

(2000): Mexico, Japan, Spain, Israel,

Italy and Chile.

• Using 1995 US production statistics:

o Average cost per bushel 2$/bu

($102/acre)

o Total economic costs - $3.58/bu

($183 per planted acre)

o Fertilizer, chemicals, fuel,

repairs and irrigation accounted

for 80% of total input costs.

6.3 Sorghum yields in terms of fertilizer, climate, soil and rainfall

• Rainfall: Sorghum is well suited to rainfall of between 400 and 750mm – and even up to

1000mm pa – but the plant is also well suited to lower rainfall areas. Yields are much

better than maize when annual rainfall falls in the range of between 500 and 700mm pa.

• Climate: (savannah, semi-arid, subtropical, dry, hot, sunny (1000m above sea level), 30°

C is optimal and can grow between 40° North of the equator to 40° South).

Sorghum is tolerant of high temperatures and grows well even if the air temperature is

as high as 45°C, but if soil temperature rises above 50°C then the plant doesn’t do well.

Sorghum is not tolerant of cold climates (189.pdf)

• Soils: good drainage is needed and can grow in heavy clay to light, sandy soils. Best soil

is well-draining but with high water-holding capacity.

A minimum soil temperature of between 16°C and 18°C is required for good emergence.

The soil can be low to high in fertility.


08 July 2009

Sorghum prefers soils that are near neutral (pH of 5 – 8.5); but has been grown at pH

levels as low as 4.8.

• Fertilizer: Fertiliser dosing rates depends on the soil condition, and it is often

recommended to use microdosing to fertilize sorghum. This method is characterised by

adding a small quantity of fertilizer into the pocket where the seed is sown. A second

fertilizer input can take place at the time of initial weeding, about 20 days after planting

– the correct inputs at this stage can more than double millet yields (Buerkert et al

2000).

It is also good practice to also consider organic fertilisers, as well as rotating Sorghum

with legume crops to help with fertility build-up, and to add nitrogen; as well as lime if

the soil pH is low.

Refer to Grain Sorghum Irrigation B-6152.pdf and others.

6.4 Possible group discussion questions

Some typical questions that could be asked in groups discussions include:

1. How do other crops (maize, wheat, rice) compare to sorghum in terms of:

• Yield (t/ha)

o Maize - 5-7t/ha

o Sorghum - 2-2.5t/ha (a good harvest can yield 3-4 t/ha and a harvest in dry areas

0.3 – 1 t/ha (highest recorded yield was t/ha (258 bushels per acre)

o Rice production - 3.5 t/ha

o Wheat 2.5 t/ha

o Maize 2.6 t/ha

(Based on 1995/1997 figures - ac349e00farming systems and poverty.pdf, P 12)

• Harvests/year (Maize – 1; sorghum - 1 (in a good year, with mechanized systems, 2

harvests can be achieved) - depending on soil and maize and sorghum cultivars

planted.

• Input costs/t vs selling costs / t

2. What is included in input costs for sorghum?

3. How much fertilizer do YOU need for your sorghum crop?


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7 Text to translate

In this section, we look at the text that has been included in the i3dlo, either on buttons, used in pop-up boxes etc.

There are two places where text is contained.

1. Firstly, text appears in image files, i.e. either in .png or .jpeg files. These files are contained in the first table below. For each

piece of included English text, a Photoshop PSD filename is provided (as a template) and the actual filename as well as the

font used is given.

2. The second place where we place text is inside JScript files. For those of you who have never written a computer programme before here follows a serious

i3dlo Health Warning. JScript is a computer scripting language. It tells the computer what to do – much like a recipe tells a chef how to prepare a specific

dish. Now, just as the words in a recipe explain which ingredients to use and how to blend them all together, a JScript file contains detailed instructions

telling the computer what to show on the screen, what sounds to make, etc. JScript uses a very specific syntax or way of writing out these instructions. This

syntax is very, very sensitive. If you get it wrong, the i3dlo will, most likely, not run at all. Now that’s a ruined dish you want to avoid!

So, when editing a JScript file be very careful and change only what we tell you to in the second table below! First extract the JScript file using the

methodology explained in Annexure 1 below. Open the JScript file in Notepad and proceed with caution by replacing the text as indicated and then save

the file. Replace the old JScript file with the new one as you would any other file, by following the procedures explained in Annexure 1.

Advantages of JScript: We introduced the JScript approach for a number of reasons:

• Word-length - through experience and feedback, some languages require a greater number of words than the corresponding English text to convey the

same meaning. This means that image templates are often not big enough to accommodate the translated text. JScript allows us to integrate a scrollbar in

our text boxes which can therefore easily accommodate text and words of any length.

• Image size - images make for bigger files. JScript, on the other hand, is light and compact.

• Efficiency - finally, it’s easier and faster to edit an entire i3dlo’s text in one place (inside the JScript file) than to open numerous image files and

painstakingly change each one.

For each text element described, a second language cell has also been included to help you to work on the new language text. We suggest you copy this table

into a separate file to work on.


08 July 2009

Now go on and open the JScript file. One of the first things that you will notice is that each body of text is contained inside a function, e.g. function Welcome

(Language) and that everything inside that function is enclosed in brackets: { }. These brackets are vitally important so don’t delete them!

You’ll also notice the word “case” all over the place. This is because we’re using what’s called a “switch” statement. In other words, you must have a separate

“case” for each language that may be specified. For example, if we wanted to add a Zulu version of the text we would add the following to the bottom of the

function (within the brackets!!!):

That’s all you have to do to get your translated text into the file. Only one more step to go. Our JScript file sets the language to English by default. You can

change this very easily to specify another language. The third row from the top contains the following text:

This is a “variable” that specifies which language to pick. For example, if you wanted to ensure that our Zulu text appeared in the simulation you would have to

change the variable to:

That’s it. You’re done! Put your edited JScript file back into your .EOZ file and you’re ready to go!

A few final house-keeping rules:

• to force a line break, add the following: " ## ". Please note that there is a space before and after the double hash

• to force an open line, simply add " ## ## "

case "Zulu": return "E tafuleni lika uFentse kune zinhlanzi ezintathu ezithukile ngoba ziqabanga ukuthi uTedesca yisitabane. Izinwele zika Erik ziphela kanqane kanqane. Siwine umunqintiswano womhlaba weRugby."; break;

var _Default_Language = "English";

var _Default_Language = "Zulu";


08 July 2009

Images Table:

English text New text filename PSD filename Font

SORGHUM – PLANT CHARACTERISTICS

Exit Menu bExMenu.png ButtonText.psd Arial , Bold, 12.7mm,

RGB Code: 0,0,0

Sorghum - Characteristics characteristics.jpg splash_Screen_NR.psd As above

Note: This is a screen that contains credits and

licensing information. Because most of this

information consists of names of individuals and

their contact details, you may not wish to translate

the text. Should you prefer, however, to localise

this information please see the Credits &

License.psd file for details

Credits & License.jpg Credits & License.psd Arial, Colour Code:

0,0,0

Seeds Btn_1.png ButtonText.psd

Arial, Bold, 1.76mm,

RGB Code:

255,255,255

Root Structure Btn_2.png As above As above

Height Btn_3.png As above As above

Lifetime until Harvest Btn_4.png As above As above

Replay Simulation btReplay_tx.png As above As above

Show Menu Button btShMenu_tx.png ButtonText.psd As above

Maize Pests Button_Text_Maize.png As above As above


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Sorghum Pests Button_Text_Sorghum.pn

g As above As above

Click here to continue Button_Text_Continue.p

ng As above As above

Click here to see credits Button_Text_Credits.png As above As above

Return to previous page Button_Text_Return.png As above As above

Welcome to Sorghum Characteristics H_Welcome.png Popup Heading Master

.psd


RGB Code: 0,0,0

Maize Maize_tx2.png ButtonTextGlow.psd As above

Maize Maize_tx.png ButtonText.psd


RGB Code:

255,255,255

Maize Seed MaizeSeed_tx.png As above As above

Rice Rice_tx2.png ButtonTextGlow.psd Arial, Bold, 1.76mm,

RGB Code: 0,0,0

Rice Rice_tx.png ButtonText.psd


RGB Code:

255,255,255

Rice Seed RiceSeed_tx.png As above As above

Sorghum Sorghum_tx2.png ButtonTextGlow.psd Arial, Bold, 1.76mm,

RGB Code: 0,0,0

Sorghum Sorghum_tx.png ButtonText.psd


RGB Code:

255,255,255

Sorghum Seed SorghumSeed_tx.png ButtonText.psd As above


08 July 2009

Wheat Wheat_tx2.png ButtonTextGlow.psd Arial, Bold, 1.76mm,

RGB Code: 0,0,0

Wheat Wheat_tx.png ButtonText.psd


RGB Code:

255,255,255

Wheat Seed WheatSeed_tx.png ButtonText.psd As above

SORGHUM – ORIGINS AND DIVERSITY

Exit Menu bExMenu.png ButtonText.psd


RGB Code:

255,255,255

Sorghum – Origins and Diversity Origins.jpg splash_Screen_NR.psd Arial , Bold, 12.7mm,

RGB Code: 0,0,0









0,0,0

Bicolor Sorghum

The most primitive cultivated sorghum.

Cultivars are grown in Africa and Asia..

Frequently found in wet conditions.

BicolorPopup_txt.png Popup Text Master.psd


RGB Colour Code:

255,255,255

Bicolor BicolorText.png ButtonText.psd As above

Dominant Cultivars bt_Caltivars.png As above As above

Origins bt_Origins.png As above As above


08 July 2009

Click here to continue Button_Text_Continue.png As above As above

Click here to see credits Button_Text_Credits.png As above As above

Return to previous page Button_Text_Return.png As above As above

Caffrorum Sorghum

Cultivars are mostly found on the Eastern and

Southern Savanna, from Tanzania to South Africa

CaffrorumPopup_txt.png Popup Text Master.psd As above

Caffrorum CaffrorumText.png ButtonText.psd As above

Caudatum Sorghum

Characterised by grains that are flat on one side

and curved on the other side.

Cultivars are widely grown in North-Eastern

Nigeria, Chad, Sudan and Uganda

CaudatumPopup_txt.png Popup Text Master.psd


RGB Colour Code:

255,255,255

Caudatum CaudatumText.png ButtonText.psd As above

Durra Sorghum

The most specialised and highly evolved of all the

Sorghum races.

Cultivars are widely grown along the Southern

Sahara, Western Asia and parts of India.

Predominant in Ethiopia and the Nile valley in

Sudan and Egypt.

DurraPopup_txt.png Popup Text Master.psd As above

Durra DurraText.png ButtonText.psd As above

Guinea Sorghum

Occurs primarily in West Africa. It is also grown GuineaPopup_txt.png Popup Text Master.psd As above


08 July 2009

along the east rift from Malawi to Swaziland.

It has also spread to India and the coastal areas of

South-East Asia.

Guinea GuineaText.png ButtonText.psd As above

Sorghum In Africa hOrigins_1.png ButtonText.psd Arial, Bold, 1.76mm,

RGB Code: 0,0,0

Sorghum in Arabia hOrigins_2.png ButtonText.psd As above

Sorghum in Asia hOrigins_3.png ButtonText.psd As above

Sorghum in America hOrigins_4.png ButtonText.psd As above

The Origins of Sorghum hWelcome[1].png Popup Heading Master

.psd As above

Exit Sub Menu tx_ExitSub.png ButtonText.psd


RGB Code:

255,255,255

SORGHUM AS A FOOD SOURCE

Making Beer bBeer.png ButtonText.psd


RGB Code:

255,255,255

View the correct values bC_valus.png bC_valus.psd


RGB Code:

255,255,255

Exit Menu bExMenu.png ButtonText.psd As above

Food bFood.png ButtonText.psd As above


08 July 2009

Click here to continue Button_Text_Continue.png ButtonText.psd As above

Click here to see credits Button_Text_Credits.png ButtonText.psd As above

Return to previous page Button_Text_Return.png ButtonText.psd As above

Sorghum Beer hBeer.png Popup Heading Master

.psd


RGB Code: 0,0,0

Welcome to the Sorghum Food Simulation hWelcome.png Popup Heading Master

.psd As above

Your Value, Correct Value, Endosperm, Germ, Seed

Coat, Carbohydrate, Protein, Fat, Fibre, Ash nutrients_2.png nutrients.psd various









0,0,0

Sorghum as a food source food.jpg splash_Screen_NR.psd Arial , Bold, 12.7mm,

RGB Code: 0,0,0

SORGHUM - PLANTING


Arial, Bold,

1.76mm, RGB

Code: 255,255,255

Growth bGrowth.png ButtonText.psd As above

Planting bPlantng.png ButtonText.psd As above

Plant seeds bSeeds.png ButtonText.psd As above


08 July 2009

Sorghum Growth hGrowth.png Popup Heading Master .psd

Arial, Bold,

1.76mm, RGB

Code: 0,0,0

Sorghum Planting hPlanting.png Popup Heading Master .psd

Arial, Bold,

1.76mm, RGB

Code: 0,0,0




Add Fertiliser fertilizer.png ButtonText.psd As above

Make Furrows Furrows.png ButtonText.psd As above

Pests hPests.png Popup Heading Master .psd

Arial, Bold,

1.76mm, RGB

Code: 0,0,0

Welcome to the Sorghum Planting Simulation hWelcome.png Popup Heading Master .psd As above

Make Lines lines.png ButtonText.psd

Arial, Bold,

1.76mm, RGB

Code: 255,255,255









0,0,0

Sorghum – planting for success Planting.jpg splash_Screen_NR.psd Arial , Bold,

12.7mm, RGB


08 July 2009

Code: 0,0,0

SORGHUM - YIELD


Arial, Bold,

1.76mm, RGB

Code: 255,255,255

Fertiliser bt_Fertilizer.png ButtonText.psd As above

Rainfall bt_Rain.png ButtonText.psd As above

Temperature bt_Temp.png ButtonText.psd As above

pH btPH.png ButtonText.psd As above

Reset btReset.png btReset.psd

Arial, Regular,

9.88 mm, RGB

Code: 0, 0, 0

Cabbage Pests Button_Text_Cabbage.png ButtonText.psd As above




Maize Pests Button_Text_Maize.png ButtonText.psd As above

Sweet Potato Pests Button_Text_Sweet.png ButtonText.psd As above


08 July 2009

Sorghum Pests Button_Text_Sorghum.png ButtonText.psd As above

Dry TextDry.png ButtonText.psd As above

Moist TextMoist.png ButtonText.psd As above









0,0,0

Sorghum – Yields Yield.jpg splash_Screen_NR.psd

Arial , Bold,

12.7mm, RGB

Code: 0,0,0

The Impact of Rainfall popHead2[1].png Popup Heading Master .psd As above

The Impact of Fertiliser popHead5.png Popup Heading Master .psd As above

The Effect of Temperature popHead3.png Popup Heading Master .psd As above

Welcome to the Sorghum Yield Simulation popHead.png Popup Heading Master .psd As above


08 July 2009

JScript Table (TextPopupFile.js):

English text New text Function

SORGHUM – CHARACTERISTICS

"Sorghum is one of the most important crops in Africa. ## It is draught tolerant and

adapted to a wide range of soil types. ## ## In this simulation you will learn about

some of the basic ## characteristics of the sorghum plant like: ## • The shape of its

seeds ## • The root structure of the plant ## • Know when the plant is ready ##

for harvesting ";

Welcome

"Sorghum has a deep taproot, with finely branched lateral roots. ## The root is

dense and runs deep into the ground. ";

RootStructure

"Match the root with the correct plant, by clicking on the rotating cube. "; Instructions

"Match the crop seeds with the correct crop names, by dragging ## and dropping

the seeds on top of the sacks.";

Instructions2

SORGHUM – ORIGINS AND DIVERSITY

"This Simulation will introduce you to the origins of the sorghum plant, how it was

distributed around the world and the different cultivars which are farmed. ";

Welcome

"Sorghum was first domesticated in Africa around 3,000 BC"; Origins_1

"From Africa, it spread through Arabia around 1 000 to 800 BC"; Origins_2

"From Arabia, it spread to India during the 1st century (100 AD), as well as China in

the 3rd century (300 AD)";

Origins_3

"Sorghum was introduced to the U.S.A with the slave trade in the late 1700's, from

where it also spread to the rest of North and South America";

Origins_4

SORGHUM – AS A FOOD SOURCE


08 July 2009

"In this simulation you will be shown some of the uses of sorghum as a food. You

will also learn the process of making sorghum beer.";

Welcome

"The most common use of sorghum as an alcoholic beverage is in the making of

traditional sorghum beer. Here you will be shown the process of making sorghum

beer.";

BeerMaking

"There are many other uses of sorghum as a food that exist in addition to the

ones that you have just seen.";

Food

"After a day you can drink your newly brewed beverage, but there is no alcohol

present. It is only after 4 to 5 days that you can drink it as beer.";

Message4

SORGHUM – PLANTING

"This simulation shows what happens to the sorghum plant after the seed has

been planted. It shows how to plant the seeds as well as the various growth

phases of the plant until it reaches maturity.";

Welcome

"You can refer to 'The identification and control of pests' simulation to find out

about the damage pests can cause to your crops and what you can do to prevent

them from damaging your crops.";

Pests

"Sprinkle the seeds in the line and close it. ## Planting should be timed so that

flowering avoids the hottest, driest period of summer. Sorghum can be grown in

spring, summer and autumn until the first frost.";

PlantingDone

"Harvest maturity occurs when the grain moisture is low. Wait for the grain to be

dry before harvesting."; GrowthDone

SORGHUM - YIELDS

"Sorghum is mainly grown in semi-Arid parts of the world, ## where farming takes

place under rain fed conditions. ## ## Here you will learn about the different

factors that influence sorghum yield ";

Welcome

"The yield potential of a crop will be limited by any nutrient that the soil cannot

adequately supply. ## ## Fertilisers remain to be the main products used to

replace nutrients that are lost in the soil. ## ## Animal manure can be a valuable

source of plant nutrients, it contains Nitrogen which is essential for good plant

Fertilizer


08 July 2009

growth. ";

"Sorghum can tolerate conditions of limited moisture and ## still grows well

during periods of extended drought. ## ## Sorghum requires less water than

maize. ";

Rainfall

"Sorghum requires temperatures of 27 - 30 degrees celsius ## for optimum

growth and yield. ## ## Exceptionally high temperatures can cause a decrease in

yield, ## and temperatures below 0 degrees celsius may kill the plant. ";

Temperature

"Match the crop seeds with the correct crop names, by dragging ## and dropping

the seeds on top of the sacks."; Instructions2

NB: Keep all symbols and punctuation marks in the same place and create a new case for each language you add!


08 July 2009

8 Audio to translate

8.1 Narration

The narrations act as an aid to the learning process and to reinforce specific messages.

8.2 Compression data

File type : Wave (Microsoft)

Audio Format : MPEG Layer-3

Audio Attributes : 24,000 Hz, 56kBit, Stereo

8.3 Audio file content

Filename Text

Origins

intro.wav This simulation introduces you to the origins and cultivars of sorghum. You will learn about the path sorghum has followed from

being a subsistence crop to being used worldwide for food production. You will also learn about the main sorghum cultivars in use

today

africa.wav Sorghum was first domesticated in the north-eastern regions of Africa around 3000 BC.

From north-eastern Africa it was distributed to the western and sub-Saharan parts of the continent.

meast.wav Sorghum was distributed along shipping and trade routes to the Middle East around 1000 to 800 BC.

asia.wav During the first century, sorghum was introduced to India, as well as China in the third century.

namerica.wav Sorghum was introduced to America with the slave trade from West Africa in the 1700’s, from where it also spread to the rest of the

North and South of the continent.

bicolor.wav Bicolor sorghum is the most primitive cultivated sorghum. Bicolor cultivars are grown in Africa and Asia and are frequently found in

wet conditions.

caffrorum.wav Caffrorum sorghum is mostly found on the Eastern and Southern Savanna, from Tanzania to South Africa.


08 July 2009

caudatum.wav Caudatum is characterized by grains that are flat on one side, and curved on the other side. Caudatum cultivars are widely grown in

North-Eastern Nigeria, Chad, Sudan and Uganda.

durra.wav Durra is the most specialized and highly evolved of all the sorghum races. Cultivars are widely grown along the Southern Sahara,

Western Asia and other parts of India. It is predominantly found in Ethiopia and the Nile valley in Sudan and Egypt.

guinea.wav Guinea cultivars are mostly found in West Africa and along the east rift, from Malawi to Swaziland.

Characteristics

Intro.wav Sorghum is one of the most important crops in Africa. It is draught tolerant and adapted to a wide range of soil types.

In this simulation you will learn about some of the basic characteristics of the sorghum plant such as, the shape of its seeds, the root

structure of the plant and, recognising when the plant is ready for harvesting.

roots.wav Sorghum has a deep taproot, with finely branched lateral roots. The root is dense and can run deep into the ground searching for

water in dry areas.

Interactive1.wav See if you can locate the plant that matches the root shown in the small window.

Click on the rotating cubes with the left mouse button to select the plants.

seeds.wav The sorghum seed has a round or oval shape and can grow from 1mm up to 5mm in diameter, depending on the sorghum species.

The colour of the seeds may be white yellow or red, depending on the type of sorghum planted.

Interactive2.wav See if you can match the seeds above with the correct crop. Click on the seed with your left mouse button and drag it on top of the

correct crop bag.

height.wav The sorghum plant can grow to any height between 1 meter and 5 meters depending on the type of species planted.

growth1.wav

growth2.wav

growth3.wav

growth4.wav

growth5.wav

1. The plant emerges from a seed and takes about 30 to 35 days to reach the surface.

2. The leaves are formed and the plant has taken up 10 to 15 % of the nutrients it will use during the entire season, even though it

has only completed 5% of its total growth.

3. In the next 30-35 day period the plant grows rapidly, producing much of the leaf area. The lower portion of the stalk also grows.

4. Flowering begins; the plant has taken up 60 to 70% of the total nutrients already. Keep the birds away as soon as the seeds

start appearing and watch out for pests at all times.

5. The final stage is the grain-filling period where the total production of the plant goes into the grain. This involves moving

material that has been stored in the stalk, into the grain and taking up the remaining 30% of the nutrients. The grain must dry

considerably before it can be harvested.

Planting


08 July 2009

Intro.wav This simulation shows what happens to the sorghum plant after the seed has been planted. It shows how to plant the seeds, as well

as the various growth phases of the plant until it reaches maturity.

planting1.wav

planting2.wav

planting3.wav

planting4.wav

planting5.wav

planting6.wav

planting7.wav

1. Make furrows a hand deep and a metre apart.

2. Hit the space bar to add fertilizer

3. Sprinkle a cold drink can full of fertilizer for every 14m of furrow

4. Close the furrow

5. Click on the hand to make lines in the furrow where the seeds will be sown

6. The lines must be half an index finger deep

7. Use 2 matchboxes of seeds for every 14m.

growth1.wav

growth2.wav

growth3.wav

growth4.wav

growth5.wav

6. The plant emerges from a seed and takes about 30 to 35 days to reach the surface.

7. The leaves are formed and the plant has taken up 10 to 15 % of the nutrients it will use during the entire season, even though it

has only completed 5% of its total growth.

8. In the next 30-35 day period the plant grows rapidly, producing much of the leaf area. The lower portion of the stalk also grows.

9. Flowering begins; the plant has taken up 60 to 70% of the total nutrients already. Keep the birds away as soon as the seeds

start appearing and watch out for pests at all times.

10. The final stage is the grain-filling period where the total production of the plant goes into the grain. This involves moving

material that has been stored in the stalk, into the grain and taking up the remaining 30% of the nutrients. The grain must dry

considerably before it can be harvested.

scarecrow.wav

pests.wav

“You can use a scarecrow to keep the birds away.”

“A cutworm is one of the pests that can damage your sorghum plants. Refer to the pests’ simulation for more information.”

Food

intro2.wav “Walk around the kitchen and find examples of sorghum being used as a food by clicking on them. The counter at the bottom right

will indicate the number of uses as a food you have identified.


08 July 2009

uses1.wav

uses2.wav

uses3.wav

uses4.wav

uses5.wav

uses6.wav

uses7.wav

uses8.wav

uses9.wav

uses9b.wav

uses10.wav

uses11.wav

uses12.wav

uses13.wav

1. “Injera is flat bread that is made from sorghum flour.”

2. “Dough balls which are also known as ‘Dawa’ in Ethiopia, can be made from Sorghum Flour.”

3. “Sorghum is used to make flour which can be used for many different purposes.”

4. “Sorghum flour can be used to make pancakes.”

5. “Cookies and bread can also be made from sorghum flour.”

6. “We can make syrup from sweet sorghum.

7. “Sorghum can be used to make thin porridge also known as ‘Uji’.”

8. “Alcoholic beverages such as wine can be made from Sorghum.”

9. “Sorghum can be eaten like sweet corn. This can be done by taking the whole sorghum head or the pannacle while it’s still soft

and roasting it over open coals.”

“Sorghum Grain contains a number of different nutrients. These are listed in this table. Guess how much of each nutrient is present

by selecting a percentage for each.”

10. “There are many recipes that require sorghum flour and one of them is sorghum cake.”

11. “One of the most popular uses for sorghum is stiff porridge.”

12. “Sorghum can be enjoyed in a popcorn form by popping the seeds in a pot, similar to the maize popcorn we all know.”

13. The most common use of sorghum as an alcoholic beverage is the making of traditional sorghum beer.”

“Here you will be shown the process of making sorghum beer.”

beer1.wav

beer2.wav

beer3.wav

beer4.wav

beer5.wav

beer6.wav

1. “The first step is malting. Here you soak the grains in water and leave them to germinate.”

2. “After germination, dry the sprouted grains”

3. “Grind the grains into a coarse powder.”

4. “Mix some of the ground –up grains with cold water and the rest with boiling water.”

5. “Mix the ground–up grains that are steeped in boiling water with the ones in cold water and let it stand.”

6. “After a day you can drink your newly brewed beverage, but there is no alcohol present. It is only after 4 to 5 days that you can


08 July 2009

drink it as beer.”

Yield

Intro.wav Sorghum is a crop indigenous to Africa and it is more suited to grow in hot and drier areas, where it is difficult for other crops like

maize to survive.

In this simulation you will learn about the different factors that influence sorghum yield like temperature, amount of moisture in the

soil and soil fertility.

Rainfall.wav Sorghum can survive long periods with limited amounts of moisture, and it is in such conditions where sorghum yields more than

other crops like maize.

The great thing about planting sorghum is that it also produces a yield comparable to that of maize in moisture rich or rainy

conditions.

Temperature.wav Sorghum requires high temperatures for good growth and to produce a good yield.

A temperature of 27 to 30 Degrees Celsius is required for optimum growth and yield.

Exceptionally high temperatures can cause a decrease in yield.

Temperatures below 0 Degrees Celsius (freezing) may kill the plant.

Fertilizer.wav The yield potential of crops is limited by any nutrients that cannot be supplied by the soil.

Fertilizers are used to replace the nutrients that are lost in the soil so that crops can reach their yield potential.

There are different types of fertilizers used on crops, the most common and readily available being animal manure that contains

Nitrogen which is essential for good plant growth.


08 July 2009

Annexure 1: How to localise i3dLO’s – a summary

Arguably, the most powerful feature of Interactive3d Learning Objects is their

translatability into many other languages. This feature means that the knowledge

encapsulated within each I3dLO can cross language barriers and be shared with a

global community at the click of a button. Audio and text components can easily

be translated into other languages by exploiting the so-called “ZIP” compression

functionality built into .EOZ files. This is how it’s done.

The Basics:

All the information needed to run an i3dLO such as text files, audio files, etc, can be found inside the

compressed .EOZ file. In principal, you need to replace the graphic and audio files in the EOZ in order

to change the text and audio components of the I3dLO to a new language.

This is actually very easy to do if you follow these steps:

1. You’ve probably worked with compressed .ZIP files before. Well, an EOZ file is basically the same

– you just need to unzip it! We recommend that you use WinRAR to do this as it is NOT case

sensitive, unlike WinZIP which IS Case-sensitive (trust us on this one, you’ll thank us later!).

WinRAR is a shareware program that can be downloaded at http://www.win-rar.com so go get it

if you haven’t already.

2. Right, now you have got WinRAR at the ready, you’re raring to go. Not so fast. First you need to

something very important. Save a backup copy to work on (we never work on original files!).

Now open the file with WinRAR by right-clicking on the file, choose “Open With” and select

WinRAR. You may have to click on “Choose Program …” and then select WinRAR from the list or

browse to its location to get it to open your file if it’s not already associated with .EOZ files. Hey

presto, the inner secrets of your I3dLO are revealed!

Replacing Text Textures:

OK. Now that you’ve opened the .ZIP file with WinRAR you’re probably thinking, wow, there’s a lot

of stuff in here. You’ll probably see about half a dozen types of files. Don’t panic. We’re only

interested in a couple. We’ll take it step by step - starting with text replacement.

1. You’ll see that there are a number of .PNG files inside the file. These contain the actual text that

is used in the i3dLO. These are the files that you need to replace with your new, translated

versions. But please don’t edit the .PNG files directly. You can download a set of Adobe

Photoshop™ .PSD files from the website (see the Photoshop resource folder) that can be used as

templates to generate your own, translated content. They are precisely sized to ensure that the

text fits the way it should. These Photoshop “templates” are listed next to the relevant .PNG files

in tables below together with the fonts, font sizes and font colours you’ll be using.

2. Go ahead and open the .PSD file and type your own translated text in. If you have Photoshop

then the process of editing the text layer contained within a .PSD file is a simple process. You can

purchase a simpler and cheaper download version called “Photoshop Elements” from

Adobe.com for approximately USD 100.

3. What? Do I hear screams and a gnashing of teeth: “How do I open .PSD files if I don’t have

Adobe Photoshop™?” Relax, take a deep breath and then download a secret weapon from the

Web called “GIMP” from http://www.gimp.org/. With GIMP you can do photo retouching, image

composition, image authoring, open .PSD files and, what’s more, it is open source and therefore,

free!


08 July 2009

4. OK, that was the good news. Now for some bad news. GIMP won’t actually allow you to edit the

.PSD file’s text layer itself because it turns it into a raster image as opposed to editable vector-

based text. This means that you can only use the text layer as a guide for the correct placement

of your new text. The table below gives you all the font information that you need. However,

before you start, you must make sure that GIMP is using the correct resolution otherwise you’ll

never get the font size right. The settings will obviously vary from project to project. For Pegging

out with the A-Frame you must set GIMP’s resolution to 300 pixels per inch. Click on “Image”

then “Scale Image” to get to the right window. Make sure that the X and Y resolutions are set to

300! Check out the screen shots below.

5. There is one important thing to keep in mind when you are editing the layers. You only want

your new text layer to be visible. Make sure, therefore, that only this layer is visible in your

layers palette. Look for the “eye” icon next to the text layer. See the screenshot below.


08 July 2009

6. When you’re done, save the new file as a .PNG file. Now, this next bit is very important: You

must save your new .PNG file using EXACTLY the same file name as the original file otherwise the

.EOZ file won’t recognise it and it simply won’t load into the simulation – don’t use the .PSD file

name and don’t say we didn’t warn you!

7. When you’re ready simply drag the new file from Windows Explorer into the open WinRAR

window to replace the old file. That’s that! Or is it? Nope, not quite but almost. Your .ZIP file will,

to be frank, do just that. Zip, nada, nothing.

You have to rename the simulation file extension back to .EOZ again to be able to run your i3dLO in

the EON Viewer. Now you’re done.

Replacing Audio files:

1. Now you’ll have noticed a several other files inside the .EOZ file that have a .WAV extension. At

this point all the experts among you will, no doubt, stretch and yawn with a “been there, done

that expression” on your faces. Just bear with me as we run through some more basics. All the

I3dLO’s that you download from the website contain WAV files recorded at 44kHz, in 16 bit and

stereo, with MPEG layer 3 compression. This gives good quality audio with a low file size and is

our audio standard for I3dLO’s. For a more detailed discussion about audio files take a look at

the August 2006 “News and Views” which contains a great article about recording audio clips.

2. By now you should be familiar with the procedure for “un-zipping” .EOZ files. If you’re still not

comfortable with this, have another look at the steps outlined above and try it out a few times.

Practice makes perfect, after all.

3. Once you’ve finished recording your audio clip you have to save it back to the original file in

WinRAR. We must stress again at this point how important this step is. Save your new .WAV file

using EXACTLY the same file name as the original file otherwise the .EOZ file will not be able to

pick it up when the simulation is run, capiche?


08 July 2009

Annexure 2: Linking i3dlo’s to PowerPoint

You can also use your simulations in PowerPoint presentations. It’s easy to set up and

all you have to do is the following:

1. Open PowerPoint, move to the slide where you want to inset the simulation

2. Click on Insert / Object.

3. Select Create New and EonX 4.0.1 (note, the version number is likely to be higher)

& click OK.

4. An empty selection dialogue box will now appear on your screen. Right-click on the selection.

Click on Properties and complete the following fields:

Autoplay: 1

Simulation File: The path to your simulation file

(NB: Check your file extensions – If you’re using

EON Distribution Files the file extension will be.edz

& if you’re using EON Studio Documents the

extension will be.eoz.

5. When you now view your slide show, the EON

simulation will automatically run when you move

to the PowerPoint slide that you have linked to the

simulation.


08 July 2009

Annexure 3: General information

Simulation Viewer - installation

I3dlo’s have been developed and are normally distributed as separate files (they will have either an

.EOZ or .EDZ file extension). You will need to install the EON Viewer to run these simulations. If you

haven’t already installed the latest viewer, or don’t have a latest copy, it can be found at

www.naledi3d.com (select the “i3dlo home” button / downloads, the link is at the top of the page).

The latest version (September 2008 is 6.0.0).

There is no installation process for i3dlo files. Once they have been copied to your hard drive, they

can be run by simply double-clicking on the file name; or you could consider placing a short-cut on

your Windows desktop, or for example, embed relevant i3dlo’s into your PowerPoint presentations

(see Annexure 2 for more on this).

Computer specifications

It is important to keep in mind that VR simulations require PC’s with a “good” graphics card and

sizeable memory. The terms “good” and “sizable” can be defined along the lines of the following

hardware configuration, which would be our PC of choice:

Intel Pentium IV or AMD Athlon CPU (2GHz or better)

256 MB RAM (512 MB RAM preferred)

At least 250 MB spare hard drive disk space for installation – some of the i3dlo’s can be as big as

20Mb (or more) each

Sound card and stereo speakers, CDROM

Monitor capable of 1024 x 768 or better

AGP or PCI-E Graphics card with at least 128Mb of dedicated memory onboard (256Mb preferred)

(NVidia GeForce cards are recommended.)

3-button mouse and Windows XP

I3dlo simulations have been known to run on smaller computers, such as notebooks with the Intel

graphics chipset (for example, with 128Mb shared memory); and World Links in Harare have even

run some smaller simulations on older Pentium III computers. However, it is the nature of “real-

time” interactive graphics programmes that the better the graphics card / chipset combination, the

more dedicated graphics memory and PC memory available, the better the simulation will run.

Typical symptoms of using a computer that is “low” on specifications is that the simulation take

longer to load; are “jerky” when moving around; or some of the textures may not render properly.

Mouse usage

Depending on which i3dlo is being used, a computer mouse can be used in varying ways to control

movement around the simulation. Firstly, as in most software applications, the user uses the mouse

to move the cursor and mouse clicks to make selections from displayed menu items, or to click to

move the i3dlo forward when dialog boxes are displayed.

However, because the i3dlo is based on Virtual Reality (VR) and interactive 3D worlds, the mouse

can also be used (sometimes this option is intentionally “turned off’) to move around the 3D world.


08 July 2009

This is usually achieved by holding the left –button in and sliding the mouse slowly forward to move

forward, or left / right to turn (depending on which direction you want to go). This navigation control

is quite intuitive and normally only take a few seconds of practice to get used to the idea, and to also

get used to co-ordinating the speed of the mouse movement with the actual speed of movement

within the simulation.

Similarly, the right mouse button can often be used to move vertically (up or down) in the

simulation; and a combination of the left button and the keyboard key to change the angle of view

(again these options may have been intentionally turned off).

The middle mouse button may

also be used change the angle of

view.

Finally, there may be some cases

where the left / right buttons

may have been intentionally

swapped. A little trial and error

will help you to determine what

mouse controls result in which

movements in a particular i3dlo.

Troubleshooting

In this section, we look at some common problems that may arise when working with interactive

simulations.

1. Simulations don’t run smoothly By its nature, VR allows you to move around the 3D simulation in real time. While this is one of

the more powerful features of Virtual Reality, it also means that the quality of the “screen re-

rendering” is dependent on the amount of memory (both dedicated graphics and computer

memory) and the system CPU that is available. If the simulation is not running smoothly it is

likely that your computer is below specification (for that particular i3dlo). In marginal cases, you

could try to reduce the load on the PC by closing as many other applications as possible.

2. Audio On rare occasions, the sound

option may become disabled.

To check this, click on Tools on

the EON Viewer Menu Bar

(see image to the right). Select

EON Configuration from the

drop-down menu and click on

Wave Sound. The Wave Sound

Properties menu will appear.

Make sure that the Sound Off

box is unchecked!