About Lesson
Sorghum/Jawar
Introduction
- Belongs to Poaceae family.
- An erect, robust perennial with numerous tillers and thick short rhizomes which curve upwards to produce new shoots near the parental stool.
- Clums solid and pithy, internodes of culm may have a thickened ring.
- Leaves are wide glabrous except for hairs near the
- Inflorescence is large pyramidal panicle with secondary and tertiary branches, generally dropping as seed ripens.
Use and application
- Vigorous medium-term pasture for grazing by cattle, or conservation as hay or silage.
- Perennial grasses for quick cover and feed.
- Can be used for cut-and-carry but seed of hybrids is expensive for smallholders in developing countries.
Soil requirements
- Adapted to clay to loam with pH 5-8.5.
- Some tolerance of salinity but not water logging.
Moisture
- Good drought tolerance and best in semi-arid conditions with 500-800 mm rainfall.
- Poor tolerance of flooding.
Temperature
- Seed planted for summer growth when soil temperature are above 150
- Can survive mild frosts and regrow from root bases or short rhizomes.
Reproductive development
- Short-day response.
- Begin flowering 7-8 weeks after planting.
Defoliation
- Tolerant of heavy grazing with coarse stems remaining, and with regrowth from axillary buds but doesn’t stand trampling.
- Should not be grazed below 15 cm if good regrowth is expected.
Establishment and fertilizer
- Need 5-7 kg seed/ha.
- Large seed germinates and establishes vigorously.
- Should be grown only on fertile soils where little extra fertilizer is required.
Nutritive value:
- Provides good feed only on soils which are at least moderately fertile.
- Total free sugars in the stem average about 20%.
Toxicity:
- Leaf can be poisonous because of high concentrations of hydrogen cyanide ( Prussic acid), especially in young dark-blue colored regrowth after a dry spell.
- Provision of a supplement block containing Sulphur may reduce the risk of poisoning.
Dry matter
- Upto 20 t/ha/year and normally around 4-10 t/ha.