The effect of plant spacing on grain yield of tall and short sorghum in Nigeria

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Abstract
SUMMARY The grain yield, head structure and components of yield of a Nigerian long-season sorghum (Farafara) and an American hybrid short-season type (NK 300) were compared at three populations. The effect of thinning at initiation and at heading was also examined. At each population, the grain yield per plant of NK 300 was larger than that of Farafara, mainly due to differences in the number of grains per head. This factor was also the main one responsible for a decline in yield per plant with increase in population. At all populations, Farafara plants showed an appreciable increase in stem weight after heading. The results from the thinning treatments suggest that the main difference between the two varieties is in the number of spikelets present at head emergence: the number and/or potential size of developing grains in Farafara appeared to be largely determined by the time of initiation and was probably too small to accept all the currently produced assimilate.