In principle, sorghum can take two different positions in a crop rotation: As an alternative to maize as the main crop after a preceding crop, preferably green rye, or as a following crop after cereals harvested as silage. The production technology needs to be matched to this positioning.
Sorghum is a C4 crop like maize and needs well-drained, warm soils for optimal yields. Waterlogging and cold soils stress the sorghum plants and must be avoided at all costs!
Due to its adaptation to dry growing areas, sorghum only needs between 400 and 600 mm of rainfall per year to achieve good yields. Its deep-reaching and finely branched root system provides for its excellent water absorption capacity. In dry years, it is not the plant's water use efficiency that plays an important role, but its soil water uptake capacity. Because of its ability to resume growth after a drought, sorghum has a high yield security. This is also a major difference to other crops that suffer irreversible damage during periods of drought.
Ideal as a second crop after late-harvested cereal GPS, SAATEN-UNION also has sorghum in its portfolio with the variety Gardavan. A very good sorghum x Sudan grass hybrid with very early, high DM content.