Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
260 kg ha
1
(available), P
12 kg ha
1
(available), and
50 % field capacity, N
>
120 kg ha
1
(available) are optimal soil conditions for sorghum growth.
K
Water
While sorghum will survive with a supply of less than 300 mm over the season of
100 days, sweet sorghum responds favorably with additional rainfall or irrigation
water. Typically, sweet sorghum needs between 500 and 1,000 mm of water (rain
and/or irrigation) to achieve good yields, i.e., 50-100 t ha
1
total aboveground
biomass (fresh weight). The great advantage of this feedstock is that it can become
dormant, especially in the vegetative phase, under adverse conditions and can
resume growth after relatively severe drought. Early drought stops growth before
panicle initiation and the plant remains vegetative; it will resume leaf production
and flowering when conditions become favorable for growth again. Mid-season
drought stops leaf development. Although this crop is susceptible to sustained
flooding particularly at early vegetative phase, it tolerates water logging better
than maize and sugarbeet [
2
].
Radiation
Being a C4 plant, sweet sorghum has high radiation use efficiency (RUE) (about
1.3-1.7 g MJ
1
). It has been shown that taller sorghum types possess higher RUE,
because of a better light penetration in the leaf canopy.
Photoperiodism
Most hybrids of sweet sorghum are relatively less photoperiod-sensitive vis-a-vis
purelines. Traditional farmers, particularly in West Africa, use photoperiod-
sensitive varieties. With photoperiod-sensitive types, flowering and grain maturity
occurs almost during the same calendar days regardless of planting date, so that
even with delayed sowing, plants mature before soil moisture is depleted at the end
of rainy season.
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