Abstract
Climate change poses a threat to sorghum production systems by shifting the onset of the rainy season to a later date, increasing the risk of crop failure during crop establishment. The effects of drought on sorghum during seedling establishment have not been determined. Coating seeds with a water absorbing substance offers a way to buffer the seed against insufficient moisture in the surrounding soil. Seeds of two different sorghum varieties were coated with one of two commercially available hydro-absorbers: Stokosorb® and Geohumus®. These hydro-absorbers have the capacity to store water several times their own weight. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of the cited hydro-absorbers on early seedling growth of two sorghum landraces under different levels of soil water deficit. Seedlings were grown for 12 days under three water availability levels (Field capacity (FC), 50% of FC, and 25% of FC). The seedlings under water limited treatments were subsequently re-watered. Biomass, root length, plant height, leaf area, and leaf extension rate were monitored in two-day intervals for 24 days. Coating strongly affected seedling growth both under fully watered and water deficit conditions. Sorghum varieties differed in their responses to both soil water deficit and coating materials. In general, Stockosorb improved seedling performance under water limited conditions particularly by promoting root growth, whereas Geohumus did not.
Highlights
Sorghum is one of the most important staple food crops in Africa, in the drier and more marginal areas of the semi-arid tropics of Africa [1,2]
The leaf elongation rate (LER) of seedlings from both Geohumus and Stockosorb grains was significantly higher than those from uncoated seeds, and higher in seedlings grown from Geohumus grains than those from Stockosorb grains (Table 1)
Biomass accumulation was promoted in Susu seedlings grown from Stockosorb grains, but significantly reduced in seedlings grown from Geohumus grains as compared to uncoated seeds
Summary
Sorghum is one of the most important staple food crops in Africa, in the drier and more marginal areas of the semi-arid tropics of Africa [1,2]. It is grown as a rain-fed crop, and is sown after the first rains of the rainy season. But highly resistant to drought stress at the seedling stage [8]. In order to mitigate the potentially detrimental effects of variable rainfall during seedling establishment, it is important to improve understanding of sorghum seedling responses to dehydration between germination and crop establishment. One possibility that could improve seedling resistance to drought is to develop options to improve the supply of water
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