Increasing sorghum productivity in the North Caucasus by agrotechnical methods

Research aimed at increasing sorghum productivity and developing cultivation methods and technologies based on determining sowing methods and seed sowing rates, selecting varieties, using fertilizers and herbicides to protect and nourish plants, is still of great relevance. The purpose of the current work was to identify the most efficient sowing method and seeding rate, as well as fertilizing rates to improve productivity of sorghum grain in the North Caucasus. There was conducted the study of norms, methods of sowing grain sorghum and doses of mineral fertilizers in the Rostov Region and the Republic of Dagestan. Sowing, tillage, and crop care were carried out in accordance with the Methodology of the State Commission for Variety Testing of Agricultural Crops. The object of the study was the grain sorghum variety ‘Zernogradskoe 88’. The largest grain productivity in the Rostov Region and the Republic of Dagestan with 4.93 and 4.15 t/ha was established with wide row sowing with a seeding rate of 300 K grains/ha. The study of the sowing method has found that this factor did not affect the sorghum grain productivity, the values of which were within the limits of the least significant difference. When using mineral fertilizers, a significant grain productivity increase was established in all variants of the trial. The highest productivity values were obtained with a seeding rate of 350 K grains/ha and the application of N 190 P 128 К 80 and N 220 P 144 К 90 . These rates make it possible to yield 6.08–7.41 t/ha.