Studies of grain production in Sorghum bicolor (L. Moench). V.* Effect of planting density on growth and yield

Abstract

Growth analysis was applied to grain sorghum (cv. RS610) grown at low, medium and high population densities, i.e. 14,352, 143,520 and 645,836 plants ha^-1 respectively. The medium densities had two arrangements of plants, square (S) and rectangular (R). Crop growth rates, inflorescence growth rates, leaf area indices, net assimilation rates and leaf growth rates were calculated from growth functions of plant dry matter and leaf area over time.

Differences in crop growth rate between populations in the early stages were attributed to leaf area development—specifically to the initial leaf area (dependent on seedling number) and not to differences in leaf growth rates. Peak crop growth rates were 15.0, 27.5, 26.0 and 45.8 g m^-2 day^-1 for the low, medium (S), medium (R) and high populations respectively.

The large difference between the growth rates of the medium (S) and the high populations was not explained by differences in the amount of radiation intercepted. Although leaf area indices were 4.6 and 10.2 respectively for the two populations, both canopies intercepted almost all of the noon radiation. Light extinction coefficients were 0.45 and 0.29 respectively. The relationship between net assimilation rate and leaf area index was such that for comparable leaf area indices above 2, plants at higher densities showed greater improvement in yield per unit increment in leaf area index.

A maximum grain yield of 14,250 kg ha^-1 was obtained at the high population density as a result of higher dry matter production, but a similar harvest index to that of the crops grown at the other densities. Inflorescence growth rate (g m^-2 day^-l) slightly exceeded crop growth rate in the latter part of grain filling, which indicated that there was some retranslocation to the grain of previously assimilated material. The maximum grain yield represents an efficiency of utilization of short-wave solar radiation during crop life of 2.5 x 10^-6g cal^-1.

*Part IV, Aust. J. Agric. Res., 26: 25 (1975).