AGRONOMIC AND TEST INFORMATION: PERRYTON
TEST: 2006 Limited Irrigated Grain Sorghum Performance Test
LOCATION: Dan Krienke Farm, Perryton, Texas
COOPERATORS: Dan Krienke, Scott Strawn, Dennis Pietsch, Ted Dusek, and Michael Felcman
SOIL TYPE: Pullman clay loam
ROW WIDTH: 30"
PREVIOUS CROP: Wheat
LAND PREPARATION: Disk, sweep twice, and field cultivated
DATE PLANTED: 5-25-06: Planted flat with cone planters mounted on JD Max-Emerge 2 Units.
PLANT POPULATION:Seeds were packaged to obtain a final plant population of approximately 60,000 plants/A.
PLOT LENGTH: 26’
FERTILIZER: Applied 58+0+0 through center pivot in early-August
HERBICIDE: Applied 2 qt/A of Guardsman + .50 lb/A of Atrazine, pre-emerge
INSECTICIDE: None; seeds were required to be treated with a seed insecticide
RAINFALL: May = 1.7”; June = 1.15”; July = 4.30”; August = 1.60”; Total = 8.75”
IRRIGATIONS: Applied by center pivot. May = .75”; June = .44”; July = 3.87”; August = 2.65”; Total = 7.71”
DATE HARVESTED: 10-25-06, with a JD 3300 plot combine equipped with Harvestmaster Grainguage system.
SIZE HARVESTED PLOT: 2 rows, 26’ long
TEST DESIGN: Randomized complete block using REMLTOOL for analysis
NUMBER ENTRIES: 20
NUMBER REPLICATIONS: 4
NUMBER ROWS/PLOT: 2
TEST MEAN: 6,913 lb/A; yields corrected to 14% moisture
TEST C.V.: 12.39%
COMMENTS: This site is representative of conditions located in the foremost northern area of Texas Crop Reporting District 1N (Northern High Plains). Due to a declining water table and the escalating price of fuel, farmers are striving to find a commodity that is fuel and water efficient as well as being profitable.
For the fourth consecutive year, a limited irrigated grain sorghum performance test was conducted in this area. Once again, the criteria for this test were set with the farmer and the county agent prior to planting. The seeding rate was set at 60,000 plants per acre, which is approximately one half of the full-irrigated grain sorghum test. It was also decided that the test block receives approximately 1/2 of the irrigation water and 1/2 of the nitrogen that the full-irrigated block would receive during the growing season. The test was planted approximately 60 feet from the full-irrigated test. The center pivot irrigation system was programmed whereby water amounts would change, as the pivot would move between the full-irrigated test and the limited irrigated test.
The season started with a full soil moisture profile. The test was planted on May 25, the same time the full-irrigated test was planted, which is an optimum planting date for this area. Irrigation was applied immediately after planting which insured germination and seedling emergence. The test block received 7.71” of irrigation water throughout the growing season. Only 58 units of nitrogen were applied to the test block during the growing season.
In order to follow the protocol set for this test, there was a period of hot and dry conditions prior to flowering that resulted in plant stress to some hybrids. It appears plant stress may have affected the potential yields of the earlier maturing hybrids compared to the later maturing hybrids. When selecting hybrids to be used under a limited irrigated scenario, maturity is an important criteria that farmers must consider in their farming operation.
The test mean yield was 6,913 lb/A compared to the past 3-year average of 8,475 lb/A. Although the test mean yield is considerably lower than the past 3-year average, this test reflects the true potential of sorghum hybrids when the protocol is achieved. Stalk lodging or bird damage was not a problem in the test.