Sorghum Production Guide

Climatic Requirements

Rainfall between 300 and 900 mm

Soil Requirements

• Higher yields are obtained on sandy loamy soils or
• Deep and well drained soils
• The ideal soil pH is 5-6.5

Maturity

• Early maturity varieties 110 days
• Late maturity varieties 230 days

Planting

Spacing: 75 x 5 cm, 5 – 7 kg seed/ha for small seed and up to 10 kg for large seed.

Planting Time: From end of November through to end of December in Zimbabwe.

It is not advisable to continuously plant a sorghum crop due to pest build-up. Sorghum should be sown at the onset of the long rains. Drill seeds along the furrows (trenches). Seeds should be planted 3 cm deep when dry planting to avoid germination in false rains, but 2 cm deep if the ground is wet.

Manure application

Well-composted manure should be applied during land preparation and worked into the soil. Organic foliar feeds can be added when the plant is knee high.

Weed Management

Sorghum is very sensitive to weed competition especially during the early stages of growth and establishment. Normally 2-3 hoe-weeding regimes are done even though the use of pre-emergence herbicides like artrazine can be recommended in soils with greater than 25% clay content.

Thinning

Thinning should be done to establish an in- row spacing of 15-20 cm and this should be done before tilling begins and is normally done 4 weeks after emergence. At this stage it is also recommended to fill in for the seeds that that did not germinate or seedlings that were affected by diseases.

Disease and Pests Management

• Aphids- malathion, dimethoate (rogor), diazinon
• Spider mites- Spraying with acaricides
• Stalk borer- Endosulfan, carbaryl, thionex, carbofuran
• Birds- Scaring is the answer to the problem
• Downey mildew- metaloxyl, deep ploughing, use resistant varieties
• Grain moulds- Control by adjusting sowing dates.
• Smut- Spray with fungicides, use of resistant varieties, removing smutted heads

Harvesting

Yield per hectare up to 6 tones

Sorghum meant for seed production should be harvested at maturity stage. Sorghum meant for feed can be cut when still green and fresh. Leave it in sun to allow wilting for 12 hours then chop and then feed the animals. To make silage, start harvesting at dough stage (between milky and hardening stage). For dual-purpose sorghum, cut the head with a knife or use a combine harvester

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