Jowar, which is also known as sorghum, is one of the most significant crops grown after the two main foodgrains, rice and wheat. In many places, it is regarded as a staple grain. The tropical or subtropical region produces sorghum as a crop. It can also flourish in dry areas. Jowar is mostly grown for human use. It is also used extensively as animal feed.
Botanical Classification:
Botanical Name: Sorghum bicolor
Family: Poaceae
Order: Cyperlaes
Class: Liliopsida
Chromosome Number: 10
Origin:
Sorghum, an indigenous crop to Africa, will continue to be a fundamental staple diet for many rural populations even if commercial requirements and applications alter over time. This is particularly true in South Africa's more drought-prone regions, where this robust crop offers more household food security than maize.
Climate for Growing Sorghum
Jowar crops thrive in hot, muggy weather. Regions with high temperatures throughout the year and humid conditions are ideally suited for growing Jowar plants. The optimal temperature for growing Jowar is 20-40 degree Celsius. However, you should avoid subjecting the crop to extremely high temperatures as this might reduce the yield. A 500–1000 mm yearly rainfall is ideal for agricultural cultivation. You must be careful to avoid exposing the Jowar plants to cold or frost because doing so might damage the plants. Waterlogging might result from excessive rain, which is bad for the crop.
Soil for Sorghum
In practically any type of soil, jowar can grow. Nevertheless, clay or loam soils could produce the finest outcomes. The optimal pH range for the soil is 5.5 to 8.0.
Sowing Method:
The best way to seed it is by drilling on the kera technique in lines that are 25–30 cm apart and 5–6 cm deep.
Seed rate:
For single-cut types, a seed rate of 16–20 kg per acre is recommended; for multicut kinds, 8–10 kg of seed is enough.
Time of Sowing:
It can be sown all year round in South India and irrigated regions in North India from March to August. But, in rainy regions, it should be seeded as soon as the rains begin.
Manuring and Fertilizers:
Use 25 kg of urea after each cutting in the case of multi-cut types. In the absence of applying farmyard manure, 110 kg of urea per acre should be put in two separate applications. The remaining half should be administered after the first irrigation, with the first half being applied as a basal dose at the time of seeding. But, when planting multi-cut varieties, use 20 kg of urea after the first watering and 20 kg after each cutting.
Irrigation:
Throughout the summer, irrigation should be applied every 10 to 15 days, and every 20 to 25 days in the post-monsoon season. It should be watered as needed throughout the rainy season.
Weed Management:
Manual weeding and hoeing are effective methods for controlling weeds, but they are only feasible during the rabi and arid cropping seasons since rains prevent them from being done during the kharif season. So, it becomes evident that using herbicides like atrazine (0.5 kg a.i./ha) or propazine (1.0 kg a.i./ha) diluted in 900–1000 liters of water is necessary to manage weeds. Before the emergence of sorghum seedlings, these herbicides should be used.
Sorghum: Pests and Disease
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Use of lindane or carbaryl on leaves to combat stem borer
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Treatment of shoot fly seeds with carbofuran or disulfoton
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Endosulfan or lindane spray for midges
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Dithane-based downy mildew spray
In addition to all of the above-mentioned control techniques, you can also go for traditional methods to control pests and diseases.
Harvesting:
Single-cut varieties should be picked at the boot stage 70 to 90 days after sowing. If the variety can be cut many times, the initial cut should be made 55 to 60 days after seeding, and further cuttings can be taken every 45 to 50 days.
Yield:
Yields range from 150 to 200 quintals of green fodder per acre for single-cut types to 280 to 320 quintals per acre for multicut cultivars.
