Influence of sowing date and cultivar on grain and protein yield of grain sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench]

Abstract

Sorghum is a warm-climate crop that is tolerant of water shortages and drought. In terms of climate change in Europe, this cereal could be increasingly grown to replace maize where maize cannot be grown. Unfortunately, the agronomics and especially the optimum sowing date are currently not sufficiently researched, which means that many farmers potentially interested in growing sorghum do not know what sowing date to use. The diversity of cultivar also poses a problem in terms of their appropriate selection and sowing date for the weather conditions in Poland. The study used two different sowing dates for sorghum: in the first decade of May and the second decade of May. Three different grain sorghum cultivars were used: Albanus, Anggy and GK Emese. In the conducted experiment, such features as grain yield and its components as: plant density, number of panicles, tillering index, grain weight per panicle and thousand grain mass were studied. Protein content in grain was also studied and protein yield was calculated. The GK Emese variety proved to be the most stable in terms of grain and protein yield, but it was also the most sensitive to sowing date. The other two varieties Anggy and Albanus showed a varied response to sowing date in terms of grain and protein yield.