Performance of selected sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) ‎genotypes under water stress condition ‎

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted in autumn 2003 in the Demonstration Farm of ‎the Faculty of Agriculture at Shambat in order to study and evaluate the ‎performance of five sorghum genotypes grown under water stress .The plants ‎were subplot to two watering treatments viz; well- watered (the pants received ‎irrigation water every 14 days ) and stressed-plant( received irrigation water ‎every 21 days). Sorghum genotypes used in this study include: Feterita Abu ‎Gumi (G1), Tabat (G2), Feterita Wad Aker (G3), Mugud (G4) and Debakeri ‎‎(G5).The experiment was laid in a split –plot design with four replications. The ‎watering treatments were allotted to the main plots and the genotypes to the ‎subplots. Results showed that water stress affected almost all the parameters ‎measured in this study. The stressed plants were larger, had greater number of ‎nodes, internodes length, leaves/plant and fewer branches/plant.‎ Similarly, water stress hastened all the phonological characters studied in this ‎experiment and reduced seed yield and harvest index. Also the data of the ‎present study clearly demonstrated that there is great genetic variability among ‎the tested sorghum genotypes. In this regard, the early maturing genotype ‎‎(Debakeri) had vigorous growth and greater seed yield compared to the late ‎maturing genotypes (Mugud) in response to water stress. ‎