Statewide
A Potpourri of Grain Sorghum Conditions
Sorghum conditions and planting dates in each region of Texas are all over the place. Some grain sorghum in the Lower Rio Grande Valley is in boot stage, and other South Texas sorghum hasn’t been planted. Central Texas is seeing a major delay in planting in some areas due to rain. The lower High Plains, due to good soil moisture, has probably seen the most early (April) grain sorghum planted in a long time, and even more would have been planted but for recent huge rains, which have put stand establishment in jeopardy. What to do?
Local considerations for planting late may include sorghum midge potential with later planting (more on this in our next newsletter), decisions about whether to keep a stand based on healthy, emerged plant population, or how late to plant grain sorghum. Also, with the wide range of grain sorghum plantings and the wet conditions, a lot of symptoms show up in the field that you don’t routinely see. These include nutrient deficiencies, which often correct themselves with the return of drier, warmer weather.
On-Line Nutrient Deficiency Symptoms for Grain Sorghum:
- “Diagnosing Sorghum Production Problems in Kansas (2014), http://www.ksre.ksu.edu/bookstore/pubs/S125.pdf
- Key to Nutrient Deficiencies of Corn and Sorghum, http://cropwatch.unl.edu/soils/keysnutrientdef
- 2009 Kansas State Dept. of Agronomy newsletter, http://www.agronomy.k-state.edu/documents/eupdates/eupdate061209.pdf
Weed Control Decisions Awry Due to Weather?
With delays in planting in much of South & Central Texas, and large rains in the High Plains that have saturated soils where early grain sorghum was planted, your planting plans have been turned on their head. Sometimes this creates issues with crop rotation restrictions, your existing herbicide control may be diminished by huge rains, weeds are running amok where you haven’t been able to plant, or you are now faced with replanting grain sorghum.
As you figure out your plans for weed control in grain sorghum our “2015-2016 Texas Grain Sorghum Weed Control and Harvest Desiccation Guide” will help you learn of additional possible options for weed control in grain sorghum, see http://lubbock.tamu.edu/programs/crops/sorghum/.
If you need assistance in planning and re-planning weed control decisions in grain sorghum, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension has three weed scientists across the state that are trained in weed control who may be able to assist:
- Dr. Peter Dotray, Lubbock, (806) 746-6101, pdotray@ag.tamu.edu
- Dr. Paul Baumann, College Station, (979) 845-4880, p-baumann@tamu.edu
- Dr. Joshua McGinty, Corpus Christi, (361) 265-9203,joshua.mcginty@ag.tamu.edu
