- Info
Establishment
- Sorghum can be planted with a drill or planter. Drilled sorghum may have a modest yield advantage of 10 percent or so in high-yield environments (>100 bu/acre) or in double-crop scenarios. In many situations, however, yields are similar with wide and narrow rows. Sorghum can be established successfully using no-tillage with either a no-till grain drill or corn planter. Planters provide improved seed depth and seed singulation, which can result in improved stands in no-till or high-residue conditions.
- If a grain drill is used, selected feed cups may need to be closed to achieve the low seeding rates necessary. With a corn planter, use special sorghum seed cups or plates.
- Plant when soil temperature at 3-inch depth at 8:00 am is warmer than 60°F, generally about 1 or 2 weeks after normal corn planting time. Planting too early can result in poor emergence and some chilling injury to the seed.
- Plant about 1 inch deep, and strive to maintain good seed-to-soil contact.
- Sorghum does well under a wide range of plant populations. For full-season production, a seeding rate of about 80,000 seeds per acre is near ideal. Under droughty or double-crop conditions, lower seeding rates of 50,000 to 60,000 seeds per acre can help improve yields and reduce drought stress and related delayed maturity.
