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Sudan Journal of Agricultural Research

Effects of sowing date, cultivar and nitrogen application on ratoon cropping of grain sorghum

2. Effects on yield and yield components of the main and ratoon crops

Abdel Rahman A. Mohamed,¹ Magboul E. Lazim,² and Abuel Hassan S. Ibrahim³

Abstract:

An experiment was conducted for two seasons (1995- 1997) at the Gezira Research Station to study the effects of sowing date, cultivar and nitrogen application on the ratoon of grain sorghum. The treatments were two sowing dates (early = 15- 30 July and late= 15-30 August), and three cultivars, namely Dwarf White Milo (early), Feterita Wad Ahmed (medium) and Dabar (late). The design was a split- plot replicated three times with sowing date as main plots and the cultivars as sub- plots. The main crop was sown on 80- cm ridges and received standard cultural practices. Immediately after harvest of the main crop, five levels of nitrogen (0.0, 21.5, 43.0, 64.5 and 86.0 kg N/ha) as urea were applied to the plots and irrigated. The design was changed to a split- split- plot with three replications. The new growth (ratoon crop) henceforth received two irrigations at 14- day interval.
Sowing date had a significant effect on yield and yield components of the main crop. However, in the ratoon crop differences due to sowing date were slight. The first sowing date (2.2 and 0.8 t/ha) out-yielded the second one by 42.8 and 27.6 % in the main and ratoon crops, respectively. The cultivars grown varied significantly in their yield potential.
 

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Sudan Journal of Agricultural Research Vol. 5 (2005) PP. 13-18