Performance of dual-purpose sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) under different sowing windows and crop geometry

Abstract

India is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change and its impact on agricultural production and livestock. Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) is an important food crop of India cultivated in tropical and subtropical climates, especially the semiarid tropics; varying environmental attributes significantly affect its duration and yield. Therefore, the present research aimed to evaluate the potential of dual-purpose sorghum under varying sowing windows and crop geometry. The experiment was conducted in Eastern block farm of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University during the summer season- 2022. The experiment was laid out in strip plot design with three different dates of sowing in the main plot, i.e., D₁ - First fortnight of February, D₂ - First fortnight of March and D₃ - First fortnight of April and six different crop geometries in the subplot viz., 45 x 15 cm (S₁),45 x 10 cm(S₂), 45 x 5 cm (S₃), 30 x 15 cm (S₄),30 x 10 cm (S₅) and 30 x 5 cm (S₆) and replicated thrice.The results revealed that sowing during the first fortnight (I FN)  of April with a spacing of 45x 15 cm resulted in maximum grain yield(2585 kg/ha) and for fodder yield, April I FN sowing with a crop geometry of 30x 5 cm resulted in maximum green biomass (43.6 t/ha) as well as dry matter production. So, spacing of 30x 5 cm helps in better utilization of resources along with maximum fodder yield.