BUCHAREST3-4 NOVEMBER 2016

1ST EUROPEAN SORGHUM CONGRESS

WORKSHOP CROP MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES FOR A BETTER PERFORMANCE

THE PLACE OF SORGHUM IN CROP ROTATION IN FRANCE

Jean-Luc VERDIER, Engineer, ARVALIS FRANCE

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3-4 NOVEMBER 2016

Production areas

2 Jean-Luc VERDIER, The place of sorghum in crop rotation in France

SORGHUM IN FRANCE

Grain collect by department

In ton (2014/2015)

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SORGHUM IN FRANCE

3 Jean-Luc VERDIER, The place of sorghum in crop rotation in France

Precocity group

and area

Cumulative GDD (*) from

planting to maturity

Very early variety 1830 - 1890

Early and mid early

variety1900 - 1970

Late variety 1970 - 2020

PRODUCTION AREA AND LENGTH OF VARIETY MATURITY

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

1800

2000

Cum

ulat

ive

GD

D (

base

6°C

)

Médiane Toulouse(31)

Médiane Tours(37)

Variety choice must take into account precocity groupsuitable for its production area and the cumulative GDDavailable

(*) : Growing Degree Day (base 6°C)

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PLACE IN CROP ROTATION

4 Jean-Luc VERDIER, The place of sorghum in crop rotation in France

Most of the French sorghum crops are grown without irrigation

Examples of sorghum place in crop rotation

ColzaSunflower

Sorghum

Winter wheat

Winter wheat

Sunflower

Winter wheat

Extension and diversification of rotation :

Best management of pest (disease, insect, weed)

Improving system performances (economic, environmental, …)

Sorghum in Innovative system (conservation tillage, agroecology)

Idem +

Best nitrogen management, soil protection and fertility, …

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3-4 NOVEMBER 2016

5

5,5

6

6,5

7

7,5

8

8,5

9

9,5

10

10,5

11

11,5

12

12,5

13

20

22

24

26

28

30

32

34

36

38

40

42

44

46

48

50

52

seedingrate

plants panicles yield

Yie

ld (

T/h

a)

De

ns

ity/m

²

5

5,5

6

6,5

7

7,5

8

8,5

9

9,5

10

10,5

11

11,5

12

12,5

13

20

22

24

26

28

30

32

34

36

38

40

42

44

46

48

50

52

seedingrate

plants panicles yield

Yie

ld (

T/h

a)

De

nsi

ty/m

²

5

5,5

6

6,5

7

7,5

8

8,5

9

9,5

10

10,5

11

11,5

12

12,5

13

20

22

24

26

28

30

32

34

36

38

40

42

44

46

48

50

52

seedingrate

plants panicles yield

Yie

ld (

T/h

a)

De

ns

ity/m

²

5

5,5

6

6,5

7

7,5

8

8,5

9

9,5

10

10,5

11

11,5

12

12,5

13

20

22

24

26

28

30

32

34

36

38

40

42

44

46

48

50

52

seedingrate

plants panicles yield

Yie

ld (

T/h

a)

De

ns

ity/m

²

SEEDING RATE

5 Jean-Luc VERDIER, The place of sorghum in crop rotation in France

PLANT DENSITY IS THE FIRST YIELD COMPONENT MANAGEABLEBY THE PRODUCER

Very early hybrid

5

5,5

6

6,5

7

7,5

8

8,5

9

9,5

10

10,5

11

11,5

12

12,5

13

20

22

24

26

28

30

32

34

36

38

40

42

44

46

48

50

52

seedingrate

plants panicles yield

Yie

ld (

T/h

a)

De

ns

ity/m

²

Mid early hybrid

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SEEDING RATE

6 Jean-Luc VERDIER, The place of sorghum in crop rotation in France

A : Medium soil and without irrigation

B : Deep soil or irrigation

SEEDING RATE MUST BE ADAPTED TO THE CONTEXT

180 200 220 240 260 280 300 320 340 360

A

B

A

B

A

B

Ve

ry e

arly

va

rie

ty

Ea

rly a

nd

mid

ea

rly

va

rie

tyL

ate

va

rie

ty

Plant objective (1000/ha))

In good conditions, seeding rate must take into account 20% loss

Seeding rate in good

conditions (1000/ha)

325 to 370

370 to 430

270 to 320

320 to 380

250 to 300

300 to 360

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WEED MANAGEMENT

7 Jean-Luc VERDIER, The place of sorghum in crop rotation in France

In case of big problems in wintergrain (herbicide résistance, heavyinfestations). Insertion of summercrop like sorghum allow to decreaseweed density.

Sorghum benefits in crop rotation :

Lolium multiflorum Cirsium arvenseConvolvulus

arvensis

Effectives herbicides solutionsavaible in sorghum is beneficialfor the management of theseweeds in crop rotation

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WEED MANAGEMENT

8 Jean-Luc VERDIER, The place of sorghum in crop rotation in France

Difficult weeds in sorghum :

Panicum miliaceum

Echinochloa crus gali

Digitaria spp

Setaria spp

Sorghum halepense

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NON CHEMICAL WEED CONTROL

9 Jean-Luc VERDIER, The place of sorghum in crop rotation in France

Inter-row cultivatorFalse seed bed

Weed harrow or rotary hoe

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CHEMICAL WEED CONTROL

10 Jean-Luc VERDIER, The place of sorghum in crop rotation in France

Annual grass weeds :

Residual herbicides

S-metolachlor

Only if

seed

safener

S-metolachlor

Dimethenamid-P

Pendimethalin

Residual and foliar

herbicides

Sulcotrione

Penoxsulam

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CHEMICAL WEED CONTROL

11 Jean-Luc VERDIER, The place of sorghum in crop rotation in France

Broadleaf weeds:

Systemic foliar herbicides

Bentazone

Bromoxynil

Contact foliar herbicides2,4D; clopyralid; fluroxypyr;

prosulfuron; dicamba

2,4D : be careful ; do not

apply after 8 leaves stage

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5

6

7

8

9

10

11

0 50 100 150 200 250 300

Yie

ld (

T h

a)

Water avaible between boot stage and physiologically maturity stage (mm) (soil supplies + rain + irrigation)

2010

2011

First points :

without irrigation

WATER EFFICIENCY

12 Jean-Luc VERDIER, The place of sorghum in crop rotation in France

0.35 t ha / 10mm of irrigation

Grain sorghum water response is strongly linked to soil depth and water reserve

→ High drough stress

→ Low drough stress

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SORGHUM HARVEST

Still green leaves

(stay-green)Grain maturity

16

18

20

22

24

26

28

30

32

34

36

0 50 100 150 200 250 300

seed

% H

2O

Cumulative degree day (base 6°C)

↘ 1% H2O seed ≈ 15°C cumul degree day base 6

Grain desiccation

0

5

10

15

20

25

15

20

25

30

35

40

Rai

n (

mm

)

Gra

in w

ater

co

nte

nt

(en

%)

Rain (mm)

Grain water content (en %)

Jean-Luc VERDIER, The place of sorghum in crop rotation in France

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3-4 NOVEMBER 2016

14Jean-Luc VERDIER, The place of sorghum in crop rotation in France