Using Different Carbon Resources to Enhance Germination and Growth Components of Two Varieties of Sorghum bicolor L.

Abstract

Sorghum is regarded as a crop with a dual purpose (grain and forage), however it hasn't been prioritized as a crop in Iraq since it relies on outdated types. The goal of this study was to assess the effects of three different carbon sources (charcoal, sawdust, and white sugar) on the plant growth and yield performance of the two varieties of Sorghum bicolor. The experiment was a complete randomized design (CRD) with three replicates. Overall, seed germination percentages were significantly affected by varieties and treatments. However, the highest germination was recorded in variety one 93.83%. In relevant of effectiveness of different carbon resources on growth characteristics, the outcomes were differed, for example, the effects of all treatments were non-significant for characters’ fresh leaf weight and dry leaf weight compare to control treatment. Although, the highest results were recorded in sawdust treatment (18.83 g) and the lowest response for fresh leaf weight belong to control treatment (10.83 g). Sawdust treatment had also significant influence on fresh yield, dry yield, total fresh yield, and total dry yield of both studied varieties compare to control or other treatments. The outcomes indicated that using sawdust as an organic carbon resources can enhance growth and yield characters when planting sorghum as forage crops.

Keywords

• Charcoal, growth characters, sawdust, seed germination, white sugar, and biomass