Forage sorghum production under rainfed farming in sites with and without climate restriction for maize cultivation

Forage sorghum is a crop that can be planted in semiarid regions, due to its greater adaptability to dry climate environments, and can replace maize in these regions, which are often unsuitable for its production. Thus, the objective of the study was to evaluate the structural, morphological and nutritional characteristics of 23 sorghum hybrids forage cultivated in rainfed conditions, planted in different climate conditions, comparing the hybrids, in order to determine what produces the best in the climatic conditions of the explored region, and also to indicate whether this crop can be planted as a replacement for maize in environments not suitable for planting it. The research was conducted in climate BSh in the Municipality of Alvorada do Gurgueia, and climate Aw in the Municipality of Bom Jesus, both in the state of Piauí from 2014 to 2015. Each trial consisted of 20 experimental forage sorghum hybrids [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench], and three commercial hybrids. A randomized block design was used, with three replications in a factorial scheme (2 × 23). The growth characteristics determined were hybrid × climate interaction for the variables plant height, lodging and leaf/stem ratio. For the variable number of tillers, there was a significant difference only between hybrids. There was no difference between hybrids only for the lodging variable of climate Aw. The other variables showed a difference in all hybrids evaluated. There was an interaction for production of dead matter and total dry forage mass between the different environments and hybrids evaluated. For leaf production, there was an effect only for the different environments. For the chemical characteristics, there was an interaction for all variables analyzed between the different environments and hybrids evaluated. The semi-arid region of the State of Piauí, climate BSh which presents a high climatic risk for maize cultivation, proved to be favorable for forage sorghum production. The forage sorghum also presented agronomic characteristics similar to those found in semi humid climate Aw, a favorable region for maize cultivation. In addition, the tested hybrids showed good chemical characteristics, so the BSh climate has great exploratory potential for the cultivation of forage sorghum.

Keragaan beberapa Varietas Sorgum terhadap Aplikasi Kitosan Iradiasi

Sorghum is a versatile, drought-resistant cereal crop. Increasing sorghum production needs special attention, although Indonesia has the potential for sorghum development. Irradiated chitosan can be used as a plant growth promoter and organic fertilizer to improve the performance of sorghum. This study aims to provide recommendations for sorghum varieties that are suitable for development and planting in dry land and are known to be able to control pests organically with the application of chitosan irradiation with optimum concentration. The experimental design was a separate plot with sorghum varieties (Numbu, Keller, and Kawali) as the main plot and the irradiated concentrations of chitosan (without irradiation, 2, 4, and 6 ml.L^-1) as subplots. The results showed that the sorghum variety and the optimum chitosan irradiation concentration of 2.76 and 5.15 ml.L^-1 increased the dry weight of stover per plant by 93.04 g per plant and increased the sugar content of sorghum with Brix 15.03%. The varieties of Numbu, Keller, and Kawali significantly affected plant height, number of leaves, weight of 100 seeds, and plant fresh weight per plot or forage of sorghum.

Mega-Environment Analysis To Assess Adaptability, Stability, And Genomic Predictions In Grain Sorghum Hybrids

Multi-environment trials (MET) are fundamental for assessing genotype-by-environment interaction (GxE) effects, adaptability and stability of genotypes and provide valuable information about target regions. As such, a MET involving grain sorghum hybrid combinations derived from elite inbred lines adapted to diverse sorghum production regions was developed to assess agronomic performance, stability, and genomic-enabled prediction accuracies within mega-environments (ME). Ten females and ten males from the Texas A&M and Kansas State sorghum breeding programs were crossed following a factorial mating scheme to generate 100 hybrids. Grain yield, plant height, and days to anthesis were assessed in a MET consisting of ten environments across Texas and Kansas over two years. Genotype plus Genotype-by-block-of-environment biplot (GGB) assessed ME, while the "mean-vs-stability" view of the biplot and the Bayesian Finlay-Wilkinson regression evaluated hybrid adaptability and stability. A genomic prediction model including the GxE effect was applied within ME to assess prediction accuracy. Results suggest that grain sorghum hybrid combinations involving lines adapted to different target regions can produce superior hybrids. GGB confirmed distinct regions of sorghum adaption in the U.S. Further, genomic predictions within ME reported inconsistent results, suggesting that additional effects rather than the correlations between environments are influencing genomic prediction of grain sorghum hybrids.

The Potential of Sorghum Plants in Lamunde Village Tinondo District East Kolaka Regency

Sorghum is one of the most important food crops globally, which has become the fifth food crop after wheat, rice, corn, and barley. Sorghum has excellent potential to be developed in Indonesia because it has wide adaptability, especially on dry land, and produces high productivity. This study aims to determine the possibility of sorghum plants in Lamunde Village, Tinondo District, East Kolaka Regency. The population in this study were sorghum farmers, totaling 25 people, using the method census or saturated sampling, which took the entire population as a sample so that 25 people were obtained as research samples. Data analysis used SWOT analysis using IFE (Internal Factors Evaluation) Matrix, EFE Matrix (External Factors Evaluation), and IE Matrix (Internal External). The results showed that the strategy that needs to be applied for sorghum farmers in seeing the potential for the development of sorghum plants in Lamunde Village is a strategy of concentration through vertical integration. Growth through engagement can be achieved through vertical integration by taking over the function of suppliers, namely sorghum farmers, or by taking over the tasks of distributors, namely buyers of sorghum production, either in the form of wholesalers or collectors and companies.

Sorghum-Phosphate Solubilizers Interactions: Crop Nutrition, Biotic Stress Alleviation, and Yield Optimization

Sweet sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] is a highly productive, gluten-free cereal crop plant that can be used as an alternative energy resource, human food, and livestock feed or for biofuel-ethanol production. Phosphate fertilization is a common practice to optimize sorghum yield but because of high cost, environmental hazards, and soil fertility reduction, the use of chemical P fertilizer is discouraged. Due to this, the impetus to search for an inexpensive and eco-friendly microbiome as an alternative to chemical P biofertilizer has been increased. Microbial formulations, especially phosphate solubilizing microbiome (PSM) either alone or in synergism with other rhizobacteria, modify the soil nutrient pool and augment the growth, P nutrition, and yield of sorghum. The use of PSM in sorghum disease management reduces the dependence on pesticides employed to control the phytopathogens damage. The role of PSM in the sorghum cultivation system is, however, relatively unresearched. In this manuscript, the diversity and the strategies adopted by PSM to expedite sorghum yield are reviewed, including the nutritional importance of sorghum in human health and the mechanism of P solubilization by PSM. Also, the impact of solo or composite inoculations of biological enhancers (PSM) with nitrogen fixers or arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi is explained. The approaches employed by PSM to control sorghum phytopathogens are highlighted. The simultaneous bio-enhancing and biocontrol activity of the PS microbiome provides better options for the replacement of chemical P fertilizers and pesticide application in sustainable sorghum production practices.

Sorghum Production Constraints, Trait Preferences, and Strategies to Combat Drought in Tanzania

Sorghum is an important food crop for people in drought-prone areas of the world. The production in Tanzania has been ≤1 t ha−1 for a decade. The study was conducted in Iramba, Ikungi, and Kongwa districts to identify factors influencing the sorghum production, adoption rate, and strategies to address drought in Tanzania. The study involved 240 respondents for individual interviews and focus group discussions. Thirty respondents participated in individual interviews while ten farmers participated in the focus group discussion per village. Our study found that birds, poor soil fertility, and drought were the major constraints across the study districts. Drought tolerance, high yield, and early maturity were the most preferred traits by farmers across the study areas. Farmers addressed drought stress in sorghum by practicing early planting early maturing varieties in November and using drought-tolerant varieties. However, most farmers failed to name the diseases and pests affecting sorghum. This study highlights basic information for plant breeders to incorporate traits preferred by farmers in breeding programs when developing new sorghum varieties for sustainable production. The study shows the importance of involving farmers to identify the problems and solutions of sorghum production to increase the adoption rate.

Review of highland sorghum improvement research in Ethiopia

Sorghum is the most well-known helpful cereal crop for poor farmers in Ethiopia’s dry lowland areas due to it’s a high yielding, drought tolerant, nutrient use efficiency crop that can be grown over 80 % of the worlds’ cultivated land. It has many advantages in the economic lives of the farmers in the highlands of the country. It is a source of food, feed, fuel, construction, fencing to poor farmers of Ethiopia. Though, many biological and environmental stresses are reducing grain yield increment. Foliar and grain diseases are one of the main biological stresses limiting sorghum production and productivity in the high and intermediate rainfall areas of Ethiopia. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to review the current state of highland sorghum improvement in Ethiopia’s highlands. Breeders, pathologists, agronomists, and research extension workers have all worked hard to overcome the constraints. In addition, the national sorghum research program is focusing on developing tolerant varieties that can withstand a variety of pressures by backcrossing tolerant characteristics into existing potential landraces and elite advanced lines. Due to many yield-limiting conditions, the crop’s production is well below its potential. Sorghum breeding began in Ethiopia in the early 1950s to solve important production difficulties that contributed to low productivity, and as a result, a number of improved varieties have been offered to farmers. Since 1978, research and development efforts previous to Ethiopian sorghum enhancement have been studied. Generally, believe that future productivity will most likely increase as a result of the integration of a diverse collection of mutually beneficial disciplines and organizations with varying priorities in technology development, advancement, promotion, and market/product production. Multidisciplinary methodologies, system sustainability with temporal and spatial intensification, and participation of essential stakeholders, including farmers, in the technological development, increase, promotion, and proper intervention in production are also of interest.

Detection and Identification of Plant Growth Promoting Bacteria from Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) Rhizosphere Soil in Northern Ethiopia

Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria are the bacteria which subsist inside and outside of the plant tissue and promote plant growth through direct or indirect mechanisms. To increase sorghum production and productivity we utilize herbicides and chemical fertilizers to overcome sorghum production constraints, but those chemicals have negative side effects. The current study was conducted with the objective of isolation of PGPR from sorghum rhizosphere and screening for primary growth related trait, evaluation of potential PGPR at greenhouse for sorghum growth performance and identify through biochemical characterization. So that, in this study a total of 117 plant growth promoting rhizobacteria were isolated from the rhizosphere of 12 sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) genotype by cultivating using 3 collected soil samples from the northern part of Ethiopia (Amhara and Tigray regional states) in greenhouse. Isolated bacteria were screened for primary growth promoting traits such as phosphate solubilization test, IAA production test at different concentration of L-tryptophan and ammonia production test. From the isolated bacteria 28% solubilized Phosphorous, 78% produced IAA at different concentration of tryptophan. The greatest IAA production was scored at 100 mg/L of tryptophan and the lowest production of IAA was scored at 150 mg/L of tryptophan, 69% of isolated bacteria produced ammonia. Hence, 15% of isolated bacteria fulfilled the above primary screening test and used for further greenhouse evaluation. Accordingly, eighteen bacteria were tested for greenhouse experiment using completely randomized design and all 18 isolates were significantly increased all the agronomic parameter as compared to the control such as plant shoot height, plant shoot fresh and dry weight, root length, root fresh and dry weight at p < 0.01 and P ≤ 0.001. Two isolates G6E29 and G4E19 had significantly increased all the parameter but two isolates (G12E19 and G3E40) were statistically non-significant for root fresh weight compared to the control. These 18 potential isolates were characterized morphologically and biochemically. Eight isolates were grouped at Pseudomonas genera. Six isolates were grouped at Azotobacter and the rest four isolates were grouped at Bacillus genera. Thus, the use of plant growth promoting rhizosphere bacteria could be useful to improve sorghum production and productivity. However, further molecular identification and evaluation of the isolates exhibiting multiple plant growths promoting traits on plant-microbe interaction for economic crop of Ethiopia is needed to uncover their efficacy as effective plant growth promoting rhizosphere bacteria.