Grain sorghum production: Influence of planting date, hybrid selection, and insecticide application

Abstract

Grain sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] has been a valuable crop for the southern Great Plains due to its ability to overcome the high temperatures and sporadic rain events common in the region. Optimizing production practices has always been critical for grain sorghum to overcome these environmental challenges. In response to sugarcane aphids (SCA), a detrimental pest in grain sorghum production, common agronomic management practices rapidly shifted with no regard to how such changes would affect overall production. This research is aimed to evaluate the effects of the hasty management changes on grain sorghum plant stands and yields in Oklahoma. Trials were established in 2016 and 2017 at the Northcentral Research Station in Lahoma, OK, and the Efaw Research Station near Stillwater, OK. Four planting dates, two hybrid types, and insecticide applications were evaluated on their impact on early‐season stands and crop yield. Findings showed that planting date had the most consistent impact on sorghum yields, across hybrid types and insecticide applications. Planting in April resulted in higher yields in 2016. However, results from 2017 showed that cooler soil temperatures, as measured by Mesonet stations at each location, can still limit yield when grain sorghum is planted too early. Early‐season plant stands followed the same trend as crop yields, with the highest early‐season stands occurring in the same period as highest yields. Yields and stands consistently decreased with later planting. It was also during these later planting dates that hybrid selection and insecticide applications were found to have a significant impact on yield.

Crop modeling suggests limited transpiration would increase yield of sorghum across drought-prone regions of the United States

“…Higher yields in early spring resulted from the synchronization of planting dates with the onset of precipitation, which increased the frequency of WW environments ( Supplementary Figure S3 ). Likewise, simulation and field studies demonstrated yield gains of up to 11% in seasons with higher water availability ( Francis et al., 1986 ; Carcedo et al., 2021 ; Zander et al., 2021 )…”

Interpretation of genotype-environment-sowing date/plant density interaction in sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] in early mature regions of China

“…In contrast, in areas such as Zhangjiakou, which has a relatively longer frost-free period, proper delayed sowing may be suitable to obtain a higher yield if sorghum can get mature. However, planting date had a significant effect on early-season seedling emergence and varied between years ( Radford and Henzell,1990 ; Razmi et al., 2013 ; Zander et al., 2021 ), climatic characteristics of different years, cold tolerance of variety should be considered for setting a proper early sowing date.…”

“…Experiments, conducted at Lahoma and Efaw of Oklahoma, showed that planting date significantly affected grain sorghum yield. Optimum yields were found when planting in April or May, depending on year, and cooler soil temperatures can limit yield when grain sorghum is planted too early (Zander et al, 2021). However, research in Missouri indicated that planting date had a small and inconsistent effect on grain sorghum yield, and a rather wide planting date window was found (Conley and Wiebold, 2003) .…”

Assessment of global sorghum production, tolerance, and climate risk

“…A large body of literature found important differences between sorghum varieties in terms of yield, nutritional content, and tolerance to climate risks (Amare et al, 2015;Ogbaga et al, 2016;Assefa et al, 2020;Tasie and Gebreyes, 2020;Wendmu et al, 2022). Similarly, agronomic practices such as tillage, plant density, and sowing date, among others, are found to widely impact sorghum yield (Conley and Wiebold, 2003;Ajaj et al, 2021;Carcedo et al, 2021;Zander et al, 2021;Gao et al, 2022;Naoura et al, 2023), indicating that adopting best agronomic practices is an indispensable factor for any program that aims to improve crop productivity and build climate resilience.…”