The changing face of sorghum planting windows – Ponjola, Moree, dryland 2018/19

Abstract

Key findings • Planting time for sorghum can be moved earlier than the traditional 16–18 °C soil temperature without negatively affecting crop establishment and yield. • Defining the minimum soil temperature required is tenuous as temperatures are variable in the late winter–early spring with the risk of mild and severe frosts. • Planting sorghum earlier (August as opposed to September) at Moree moved the flowering window forward and resulted in improved yields in 2018/19. • Varying plant population did not affect the final yields at this site in this season. This was primarily due to there being more primary heads as the plant population increased, which resulted in fewer fertile tillers being produced.