An analysis of the environmental limitation to yield of irrigated grain sorghum during the dry season in tropical Australia using a radiation, interception model

Abstract

Variation in yield of irrigated grain sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) grown during the dry season in tropical Australia was analysed in terms of the amount of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) intercepted, its efficiency of use in dry matter production and the proportion of dry matter partitioned to grain. Three commercial hybrids (Texas 610SR, Dekalb DK55, Pacific Monsoon) grown under favourable conditions on two soil types (Cununurra Clay and Ord Sandy Loam) yielded similarly, but there was a significant effect of sowing date. Grain yield was highest (9.5 t ha-1 at 14% moisture) in the May sowing, with the lowest yield (7.4 t ha-1) being obtained in the April sowing. Yield was intermediate from a July sowing. Differences in grain yield across the dry season were not related to the amount of PAR intercepted, nor to the efficiency of conversion of intercepted PAR into net aboveground dry matter, but rather to differences in dry matter partitioning. A stable efficiency of conversion of 2.4 g MJ-1 of intercepted PAR was recorded for the entire crop cycle for sorghum crops growing under favourable growing conditions in this environment. This conversion efficiency for a tropical C4 cereal is similar to maximum values, but higher than average conversion efficiencies over the entire crop cycle obtained for temperate C3 cereals growing in temperate regions. Temperature did not affect this conversion efficiency, but had a pronounced effect on the duration of crop development.