Climate and soil
Climatic and soil requirements
- Rainfall: ³250 mm
- Temperature: up to 33°C
- pH = 5.2 to 7.5
Land preparation and fertilizer requirements
- Heavy soil: Double plowing; first one right after harvest and the second in spring
- Phosphate should be applied as recommended on the basis of soil test results. Basal application of 2:3:2 (22) at 200 kg/ha
- Nitrogen: 75 kg of Lime Ammonium Nitrate (LAN-28%N) or 50 kg of urea (46% N) per hectare. It should be top-dressed 5-6 weeks after emergence.
Planting
Planting
- Late November to early December
Plant spacing and plant population
- Plant spacing: 0.75 x 0.3 m
- Population: 40 000 plants/ha for low rainfall area and 50 000 plants/ha for high rainfall area
Seeding rate
- 5-10 kg/ha for broadcast and 1-2 kg/ha for row planting
Recommended sorghum cultivars and their characteristics
|
Cultivar |
Seed color |
Maturity (days) |
Tilling |
Plant height (m) |
Uses |
Days to 50% flowering (days) |
Yield potential (t/ha) |
|
Phofu |
Cream |
112-125 |
3-4 |
Semi-dwarf |
Meal |
60-65 |
1.5-3.5 |
|
Mahube |
Red |
100-125 |
2-3 |
0.9-1 |
Malt |
52-63 |
1.0-3.0 |
|
Mmabaitse |
Cream white spotted |
125-130 |
3-4 |
1.1-1.3 |
Meal |
60-70 |
1.0-3.0 |
|
Segaolane |
White |
125-130 |
3-4 |
1.5-1.8 |
Meal |
60-65 |
1.0-3.5 |
|
Town |
Light red |
130-135 |
2-3 |
2.0-2.4 |
Meal |
65-70 |
1.5-3.5 |
|
BSH1 |
Cream |
120-130 |
2-3 |
1.3-1.6 |
Meal |
68-78 |
3.0-6.0 |
|
Marupantse |
Red/white |
125-130 |
2-4 |
1.5-1.8 |
Meal |
65-70 |
1.5-3.5 |
|
65D |
White |
65-100 |
1-2 |
0.9-1.2 |
Meal |
55-62 |
1.0-3.0 |
|
8D |
Red |
80-105 |
1-2 |
0.8-0.9 |
Meal |
50-60 |
1.0-3.0 |
|
Sephala |
Cream |
|
|
≈ 1.05 |
Meal |
≈ 70 |
≈ 2.50 |
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