AGRONOMIC AND TEST INFORMATION: CASTROVILLE

TEST: 2007 Irrigated Grain Sorghum Performance Test

LOCATION: Dan Sittre Farm

COOPERATORS: Dan Sittre, Jason Ott, Michael Felcman, and Dennis Pietsch

SOIL TYPE: Castroville clay loam

ROW WIDTH: 36"

PREVIOUS CROP: Grain Sorghum

LAND PREPARATION: Disked, chiseled, disked, bedded

DATE PLANTED: 3-20-07 with cones mounted on an ALMACO planter using JD Max-Emerge II units

PLANT POPULATION: Seeds were packaged to obtain a final plant population of approximately 100,000 plants per acre

PLOT LENGTH: 2 rows 26'

FERTILIZER: 400 lb/A of 24-12-0 applied pre-plant

HERBICIDE: 2 pt/A of Atrazine 4E at 6” stage

INSECTICIDE: Two applications of Karate at the rate of 2.13 oz/A for head worms

RAINFALL: January = 5.2”; February = 0.0"; March = 8.65"; April = 4.2”;

May = 5.95"; June = 8.05"; July = 11.4”; Total = 43.45"

IRRIGATIONS: Due to timely rainfall throughout the growing season, no irrigations were applied to the test

DATE HARVESTED: 8-7-07 with JD 3300 plot combine equipped with Grain Gauge.

SIZE HARVESTED PLOT: 2 rows, 26'

TEST DESIGN: Randomized complete block

NUMBER ENTRIES: 20

NUMBER REPLICATIONS: 3

NUMBER ROWS/PLOT: 2

TEST MEAN: 5,185 lb/A; yield corrected to 14% moisture

TEST C.V.: 11.47%

COMMENTS: This test was conducted on the Dan Sittre Farm located in the eastern part of Medina county near Castroville and is representative of conditions in the Winter Garden Area of Texas.

Growing conditions were favorable throughout the season that resulted in above average yields to be attained. The season started with a full soil profile of moisture from fall and winter rains. A near-optimum planting date was secured and rapid plant growth followed. Due to timely and abundant rainfall throughout the growing season, the test block was not irrigated. Although this site is classified as an irrigated location, the test was grown under a natural rainfall scenario.

The test block received excessive rainfall in July as grain was drying down. Very little grain mold and grain sprouting were observed at harvest; however, those genotypes that possessed a soft endosperm exhibited some kernel deterioration.

The damage is reflected by the bushel weights in the following table. Bushel weights ranged from 54.8 lb/bu to 61.3 lb/bu with the mean being 58.24 lb/bu.

The test mean yield was 5,185 lb/A compared to the past 3-year average of 4,916 lb/A. Two hybrids produced over 6,000 lb/A. Lodging was observed in several hybrids, but the incidence was minimal and did not affect yields. Midge and bird damage was not observed.