Discuss the agronomic practices of sorghum

1.Cropping system
Cropping systems are monoculture, crop rotation and intercropping
In crop rotation, a lot of care must be taken on the crop to follow sorghum in the rotation. Sorghum has a tendency of depleting soil nutrients. Thus legumes are the best to follow sorghum and cereal the least to follow it in rotation program.
Under irrigation, crops that follow sorghum suffer a series of nutrient problems because: Sorghum contains high level of sugar contents in its roots and stubble. These sugars supply energy for soil microorganisms which the multiply and compete with crops for available soil nitrogen returning growth of such crops. Apply nitrogen source such as FYM, Nitrogen fertilizer and green manures to revert the situation by supplying nitrogen to the soil.
Cultivation of sorghum in sole stands leads to a built up of parasitic weed Striga which may make further production of cereal crops impossible.

2.Land Preparation and planting
-Early seedbed preparation usually results in high yields.
-Sorghum requires a seedbed of fine tilth, since the seeds are fairly small.
-In most parts of East Africa, the seedbed is prepared by hand using the jembe. However, in parts of Uganda and western Kenya ox-cultivation is common.
-During seedbed preparation weeds, particularly the grass weeds should be eradicated as much as possible.
-Sorghum should be planted early at the beginning of the rains.
-Good quality seed dressed with either copper carbonate or 'Ceresan' (a mercury compound) is recommended for sowing.
-The crop may be broadcast or sown in rows.
-When sown in rows, more than 3 seeds are usually dibbled in each hole at a depth of 2.5-5.0cm and a spacing of 60cm x 15 cm.
-The recommended seed rate varies between 2-15 kg/ha depending on the method of planting adopted.

3.Weed control
-Weed control is important at the early growth stages of sorghum.
-Where the crop is broadcast, weeds are commonly uprooted.
-Where sorghum is planted in rows, weeds are usually controlled by use of hoes, jembes and pangas. Several weeding operations will be necessary.
-At one of the early weeding operations raw – planted sorghum should be thinned to leave only 2 vigorously growing seedlings in each hole.
-Thinning is usually done when sorghum is 15cm tall. Where economical, broadleaved weeds, including the witch weeds strigassp, may be controlled by use of herbicides. The effective herbicides include 2,4-D amine, dicholorobenzoic acid and benadolin

4.Fertilize Application
-Sorghum varieties produced through breeding program respond well to fertilizer application.
-Indigenous cultivars are well adapted to poor soil conditions under low plant population. However these local cultivars lack genetic material for rapid growth and efficient utilization of available resources such as light and water.
-Improved cultivars give high yields with adequate fertilization and better crop management. ---The fertilization of improved sorghum cultivars should take into account how much of the available nutrients are removed by the crop with respect to yield response. For instance a grain yield of 3000kg/ha sorghum removes 102kg of nitrogen, 46kg P2O5 and 140kg K2O.
-On moist soils, sorghum responds well to phosphate and nitrogen. Fertilizers are recommended as follows: 20-40kg/ha of P2O5 at planting and 20kg/ha of N as topdressing 3 weeks after planting.

5.Harvesting
-Sorghum is ready for harvesting in 3-9 months, depending on the cultivars.
-Harvesting is commonly done by cutting the heads (panicles) from the standing plants or cutting the entire plant and stooking.
-The grains are then detached from the heads during threshing, winnowed and finally dried to a moisture content of 10-11% before storage.

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Titany answered the question on August 16, 2021 at 08:55