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Grain sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] is the major cereal crop used in the Central Plateau of Burkina Faso to produce the traditional beer called "dolo". Experiments combining five water management techniques (WMT) and four fertilizer treatments (FT) in a randomized complete block design with a split-plot arrangement of treatments were conducted from 2003 to 2005. Water management techniques were allocated to main plots and FT to subplots. The objective was to determine the best cropping practice to optimize yields for two red grain sorghum varieties, IRAT9 and ICSV1001 (Framida), commonly used for dolo production. Results indicated that water conservation using tied-ridges produced higher grain yields. The highest yield benefit was 241 kg ha -1 for Framida. In the IRAT9 field, the highest yield benefit of 395 kg ha -1 occurred in the lowest rainfall year (736 mm) of 2005. In all years, microdose consisting of application of 19 kg N ha -1 , 19 kg P ha -1 and 19 kg K ha -1 as complex fertilizer NPK at planting, with addition of 20 kg P ha -1 as triple super phosphate at planting in the planting hole and 30 kg N ha -1 as urea applied 45 days after planting (microdose + 20 kg P ha -1 + 30 kg N ha -1 ) produced the highest grain yield increases from 420 to 756 kg ha -1 for Framida and from 812 to 1346 kg ha -1 for IRAT9. In the IRAT9 field, microdose + 20 kg P ha -1 + 30 kg N ha -1 produced the highest grain yield in all WM treatments, with yield increases from 518 to 1327 kg ha -1 depending on the WMT. Correlations indicated that the number of panicles harvested ha -1 were associated with grain yield for the two varieties. The best cropping system to optimize grain yield of Framida and IRAT9 was the use of tied-ridges and application of microdose + 20 kg P ha -1 + 30 kg N ha -1.

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Sorghum malt and dolo quality evaluation criteria and parameters affecting quality were surveyed in six cities in Burkina Faso through questionnaires addressed to malt processors, dolo processors, retailers, and consumers. The major quality criteria for malt quality assessment were perceived to be taste and presence/absence of roots in the malt. Taste, alcohol content, and wort sufficiently cooked were perceived as major criteria for the dolo quality assessment. The major parameters affecting malt quality were perceived to be malt production period, proportions of grain and the amount of water entering malting, presence of pesticide residues in the malting grains, and age of grain. Processing method, yeast source, proportions of the components (crushed grain, water, mucilage, yeast) entering dolo production, malt quality, wort temperature at time of inoculation, amount of energy available for cooking, wort and sediment boiling time, quality of mucilage, malt with non-sweet taste, presence/absence of roots in the malt, and ease of filtering crushed malt were perceived as major parameters affecting the dolo quality. These results will be used in the improvement of the dolo supply chain in Burkina Faso by providing more reliable information for training programs for efficient dolo brewing processes, development of best cropping practices to improve grain quality, and providing better selection criteria for sorghum breeding programs.

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