Optimum sorghum plant density investigated

摘要

IN CENTRAL Queensland, grain sorghum will typically encounter hot, dry weather at some time during the growing season, negatively impacting available soil moisture during grain fill. So to maximise yields under dry finishes and minimise production risk, wide and skip row configurations have been used. In the quest to further develop low-risk sorghum management strategies for local farmers, the Central Queensland Sustainable Farming Systems Project teamed up with Pioneer Seeds and farmer groups during2002 to investigate whether different hybrid maturity and plant populations affect the crop's response to row configuration. Detailed trials were conducted in conjunction with Pioneer Seeds at three locations: Kilcummin. Comet and Gindie. These trials consisted of combinations of a range of treatments as shown in table 1. Three additional trials were conducted with farmer groups (Theodore, Clermont and Jambin), to confirm whether the same wide-row trends found with 75 centimetre-based configurations could be achieved with row configurations based on 50cm or one metre.