Cultivation of Sorghum or Jowar (Sorghum bicolor)
- Commonly called as Great millet, Camel crop
- Cultivated species-S. halepense, S. miliaceum, S. propinquum
- S. bicolor with races as-bicolor, kafir, caudatum, durra, guinea
- Origin – Africa
Distribution-
- In India- mainly on central & peninsular India
- Practically dormant in drought so called – camel crop
Climate –
- Warm temperate and tropical
- Photo-period insensitive
- Proline due to drought
- Delayed sowing results more shoot fly
- Prolonged monsoon – ‘grain mold’ incidence
- low temp (<13 °C) at bloom – seed setting affected
- Root-Seminal & Adventitious
Sorghum poisoning
- Leaves contains prussic acid or Hydrocyanic acid (HCN)
- Produced due to degradation of a cyanide ion (Cyanogenic glycosides called ‘dhurrin’) by enzyme.
- Released during chopping, chewing leaves by ruminants
- Toxic level >200 ppm
- After flowering/heading reduced to safe level for feeding
Sorghum injury
- Effects of sorghum roots and stubbies on succeeding crop
- For few months
- Overcome additional N, leguminous green manure
Soils – pH 5.5 to 7.5
- Saline tolerate
- Black soils are predominantly used in India
Seasons- Both Kharif and Rabi
Irrigated
- Direct seeded
- Transplanted – less shoot fly attacks
- Rainfed- Direct sown
Field preparation-
- Deep tillage using mould board plough
- FYM/Compost 12.5t/ha
- Ridges and furrows (length 6 m)
Sowing time-
- Pre-monsoon (2-3 weeks ahead of monsoon)
- Delayed sowing leads to shoot fly attack and grain mold attack
Spacing-
- 45 x 15 cm
- 60 x 30 cm – paired row planting
Seed rate (kg/ha)
- Transplanted – 7.5
- Direct seeding- 10
- Rainfed direct seeding 15
Important varieties
- Hybrids Kafir x milo cross in USA
- Male sterile line is used
- Hybrids – CSH is famous Hybrids in India
- Kharif-CSV 1-15
- Rabi- CSH 15R & 18R
NPK (kg/ha)- 60 30-30
Biofertilizers– azotobacter, azospirillum, vermicompost
Water management-
- water requirement-Average- 400 mm
- Cool rainy season-350-500mm
- Summer 600-700mm
- Irrigation at 75% DASM
- Most critical stage approach-Grain filling
- IW/CPE ratio 0.4 was is effective for irrigation
Thinning and gap filling – 10-15 after emergence
Weeding-herbicides –
- atrazine or pendimethalin
- major weed-striga
Harvest-
- Moisture 25%
- Ear head harvested
- For sweet sorghum, stem should be cut
- Ear heads are threshed
- Grains dried and stored at 10-12% moisture
Ratooning remove the first two sprouts
maturity is advanced by 10-15 days compared to planted crop
Special practices-
- Transplanting
- Seed hardening
- Ratooning
Read More-
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