Production potential of improved grain sorghum cultivars (Sorghum bicolor) under staggered plantings in non-traditional areas of Eastern India

Performance of 10 grain sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] cultivars, viz. (5 hybrids, (‘CSH 13’, ‘CSH 14’, ‘CSH 16’, ‘CSH 25’ and ‘CSH 30’) and 5 varieties, viz. (‘CSV 15’, ‘CSV 20’, ‘CSV 23’, ‘CSV 27’ and 'sPV 462’) was evaluated under 2 sowing dates (16 February and 3 March) at the ICAR Research Complex for Eastern Region, Patna during summer seasons of 2015 and 2016, to find out the possibility of grain sorghum cultivation in non-traditional area of Eastern India. The crop sown on 3 March gave significantly higher grain (4.30 t/ha) and stover (21.23 t/ha) yields, net returns (38.4 × 10³/ha), benefit: cost ratio (2.22) and economic efficiency (376/ha/day) than that sown on 16 February sowing. Sorghum hybrids gave 22% higher grain yield than varieties. Among the hybrids, ‘CSH 16’ recorded significantly higher grain yield (5.51 t/ha) and profits followed by ‘CSH 13’ (4.93 t/ha) and ‘CSH 14’ (4.45 t/ha); and among the varieties, 'sPV 462’ (3.89 t/ha) and ‘CSV 27’ (3.82 t/ha) were found promising. Sorghum hybrid ‘CSH 13’ sown on 3 March gave the maximum grain yield (5.86 t/ha), whereas ‘CSH 14’ yielded higher (5.04 t/ha) when sown on 16 February. However, the grain yield of ‘CSH 16’ (5.43–5.59 t/ha) was not much affected by variation in sowing dates.