Effects of sowing dates on grain yield and yield attributes of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor Moench) cultivar ICSV111 (Kapaala) in northern Ghana

2007

English

Lack of a suitable sowing date has often been identified as the main constraint to sorghum (Sorghum bicolor Moench) cv. ICSV111 (Kapaala) production in Ghana. Field experiments were, therefore, used on-station at the Manga Agricultural Research Station to evaluate the effects of five sowing dates on yield and yield components of ‘Kapaala\' in northern Ghana. Sowing dates significantly (P<0.05) influenced grain and straw yields and yield components of ‘Kapaala\'. The first two sowing dates (May 25 to June 12) significantly (P<0.05) out-yielded the later ones. Sorghum plant population at 14 days after sowing and at harvest, number of heads harvested, plant height, percent threshing, 1000-kernel weight, and grain and straw yields per plant and per hectare were superior with early sowings compared to their lately sown counterparts. However, late-sowed plants matured significantly (P<0.05) earlier than early-sowed plants, and had significantly fewer mouldy heads than their early- sowed counterparts. Mean increase in sorghum grain yield when ‘Kapaala\' was sown on May 25, the earliest sowing date, over the late-sowing date June 24 was 125 per cent. Mean increase in sorghum straw yield when sowed earliest compared to their lately sowed counterparts was 173 per cent. The grain and straw yields and other yield attributes recorded for ‘Kapaala\' in northern Ghana indicated that the first two sowing dates (end of May to mid June) performed better than the last three sowing dates. It could, therefore, be concluded that the most suitable sowing dates for ‘Kapaala\' in northern Ghana is from end of May to mid June.

Kanton, R. A. L.; Atokple, I. D. K.; Dogbe, W.; Kasei, C. N.