Grain Sorghum Tiller Production in Clump and Uniform Planting Geometries

Under dryland conditions of the Texas High Plains, increased tiller production in grain sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) during early vegetative growth stages depletes stored soil water and potentially leads to severe water stress during the reproductive and grain-filling stages. The objective of this study was to understand how altered plant geometry and density affect light capture and determine tiller production in dryland grain sorghum clumps compared with uniformly spaced plants. Our data suggest that clump-planting geometry produced fewer tillers because of perception of lower red:far-red (R:FR) light ratio. In the Texas High Plains, planting sorghum seeds ≤2.5 cm apart in clumps of four plants seems to be a viable option to minimize tiller production, conserve water, and reduce plant water stress during later growth stages.

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