Performance of elite grain sorghum varieties in the West Nile Agro-ecological Zones

Abstract

Grain Sorghum ( Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) is the fifth most important cereal in the world and third most important cereal crop in Uganda. In the West Nile region of Uganda, it is the most important cereal crop. Ten pre-released sorghum varieties, acquired from the National Semi- Arid Resources Research Institute, were evaluated on-station at Abi Zonal Agricultural Research and Development Institute during the second rainy seasons of 2011 and 2013 to identify suitable lines for the region. The four most promising varieties in 2011 were further evaluated in 2012 and 2013 under five different spacings namely; 60 cm×20 cm, 45 cm×20 cm, 35 cm×20 cm, 25 cm×20 cm and 15 cm×20 cm. Sorghum lines evaluated significantly differed in grain yields (P<0.05). All parameters were significantly (P<0.05) affected by spacing, except days to 50% flowering and number of tillers. The best yielding varieties were GAO9/25(1,975 kg ha -1 ) and GA06/33 (1,637 kg ha -1 ) and the least yielding was NASECO (38.7 kg ha -1 ) and Epuripuri (31.3 kg ha -1 ). The 35 cm x 20 cm spacing resulted in the highest yield (2,740.7 kg ha -1 ) and is recommended for sorghum growing in West Nile region. Key words : Flowering, Sorghum bicolor, spacing