Category Archives: Sorghum
We Shouldn’t Plant Our Grain Sorghum the way we Plant our Cotton
This item is adapted from an AgriLife submission to Texas Grain Sorghum Association’s “Sorghum Insider” –Don Peterson, Dawson Co., TX (~2000) Dr. Calvin Trostle, Extension Agronomy/TAMU Dept. of Soil & Crop Sciences, Lubbock, (806) 746-6101, ctrostle@ag.tamu.edu December 2023 I was a new Extension agronomist in West Texas when I met Mr. Peterson, who was in his 60s. He farmed his first grain crop in the 1950s as a teenager. What do you think Mr. Peterson meant? I posed Mr. Peterson’s question this past Wednesday in… Read More →
The Winding Path of Stink Bug Management in Grain Sorghum
This item is adapted from an AgriLife submission to Texas Grain Sorghum Association’s “Sorghum Insider” Dalton Ludwick, Ph.D., Assistant Professor & Extension Entomologist, TAMU Dept. of Entomology, Corpus Christi, (361) 698-7400 ext. 1225, dalton.ludwick@ag.tamu.edu, Twitter: @SouthTXBugs Insecticides There are several key pests of grain sorghum production in Texas. Along the Coastal Bend, rice stink bug is a major, annual pest that moves between non-crop hosts and crops (e.g., rice, grain sorghum). In 2009, Dr. M.O. Way (retired professor, Texas A&M AgriLife Research, Beaumont) documented poor control with an… Read More →
Sorghum Update- High Plains
This item is adapted from an AgriLife submission to Texas Grain Sorghum Association’s “Sorghum Insider” Calvin Trostle, Ph.D., Professor & Extension Agronomist, TAMU Dept. of Soil & Crop Sciences, Lubbock, (806) 746-6101, ctrostle@ag.tamu.edu Texas A&M AgriLife Extension thanks Dr. Brent Bean (brentb@sorghumcheckoff.com), national agronomist, United Sorghum Checkoff Program (USCP) for information in this Sorghum Tip. Dr. Bean presented this and other information, especially updates on grain sorghum herbicides, to the High Plains Association of Crop Consultants meeting in Lubbock, March 1, 2023. Sugarcane Aphid Mystery Resolved Since “sugarcane… Read More →
Texas A&M AgriLife Sorghum Tips
If it Finally Rains—Late Seeding Sorghum/Sudan for Hay The drought across Texas is acute. I travelled across the state July 20-22. Only near Beaumont did pasture and range look somewhat satisfactory. Reports indicate forage is in short supply in Texas. Prices for hay are up and may climb more. Some livestock producers are reducing herd size or even selling all cattle. We do not know when it will rain. The long-term National Weather Service forecast for Texas projects continued dry conditions into Fall. For the next 7 days… Read More →
Late Planting of Grain Sorghum Across Texas?
This item was first prepared for Texas Grain Sorghum Association’s “Sorghum Insider” South & Coastal Texas With record high prices on grain sorghum in much of Texas, some have wondered if the prices might stir interest in Central & South Texas of planting a mid-and late summer sorghum crop for fall production. Texas A&M AgriLife does not have data on the potential for these crops if planted in Central Texas, the Coastal Bend, and far South Texas. Historically this has never been a practice. AgriLife Extension agents Vidal… Read More →
Herbicide Management in Corn and Forage Sorghum Silage Crops
Jourdan Bell, Kevin Heflin, Vanessa Corriher-Olsen, and Pete Dotray In response to increasing silage demands, Texas producers are growing more corn and forage sorghum for silage. In recent years, some producers are also making late season decisions to harvest corn intended for grain as silage due to favorable silage markets. As producers make preplant agronomic decisions, it is important to select herbicides that are labeled for the silage crops if there is a contingency plan to chop a grain crop for silage. Although it is commonly… Read More →
Texas A&M AgriLife “Sorghum Tips”
Dr. Calvin Trostle, Extension Agronomy/TAMU Dept. of Soil & Crop Sciences, Lubbock, (806) 746-6101, ctrostle@ag.tamu.edu Finally—Commercially Available Herbicide-Tolerant Grain Sorghums We have heard about this for years. In 2022 there will finally be some options for Texas grain sorghum farmers to consider. Seed for at least some limited acreage of three different herbicide-tolerant grain sorghum hybrids will be available. These will be best for sorghum farmers that struggle with grass control in grain sorghum. Grain sorghum itself is a grass, so otherwise… Read More →
Prussic Acid and Nitrate in Forages, Especially Sorghums
Dr. Calvin Trostle, Extension Agronomy, TAMU Dept. of Soil & Crop Sciences, Lubbock, (806) 746-6101, ctrostle@ag.tamu.edu A short version of this item originally appeared in the “Sorghum Insider,” an online newsletter of the Texas Grain Sorghum Association. I have received several calls from growers in the past three weeks about prussic acid and nitrate accumulation in forages. These inquiries are routine in the fall starting in mid-October in the Texas High Plains as the first heavy frosts and freezes occur. Then questions progress downstate as low… Read More →
End of Season Heat Unit Accumulation for Northerly Texas Sorghum
Dr. Calvin Trostle, Extension Agronomy, TAMU Dept. of Soil & Crop Sciences, Lubbock, (806) 746-6101, ctrostle@ag.tamu.edu; This item originally appeared in the “Sorghum Insider,” an online newsletter of the Texas Grain Sorghum Association. A crop consultant texted August 30th about a grain sorghum field near Plainview in Hale County, Texas. “Would you spend any money on sorghum if it is still pre-boot near Plainview, TX? I am seeing 5 to 10 army worms per whorl. Could be devastating but not sure if the sorghum has time to… Read More →
Impact of Ponded Water/Flooding on Corn and Sorghum
Ronnie Schnell, Ph.D. Associate Professor and Cropping Systems Specialist Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, College Station Tony Provin, Ph.D. Professor and Extension Specialist – Soil Chemistry Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, College Station Numerous rain events have resulted in flooding or significant ponding of water in many corn and sorghum fields across Texas. While low-lying areas may be flooded, other areas of fields may be saturated for extended periods of time. How long can corn or sorghum survive under saturated or flooded conditions? What impact will these conditions… Read More →