Optimising cultural practices for grain sorghum in relation to climatic risk at three locations in the United States, using the Sorkam model

The SORKAM model was tested against experimental data, for its suitability to examine the consequences of alternative plant density and row spacing for rainfed grain sorghum in the United States. Simulations were conducted for 2 crop maturities (early and late) and 2 upper limits of plant available water storage (low and high), for each of 4 plant densities (2.5, 5.0, 10.0, and 20.0 plants/m2) and 3 row spacings (0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 m), at Temple, Texas, and Manhattan and Garden City, Kansas. Cumulative distribution functions for grain yield were obtained for each combination. Strategies to minimize risk and maximize profit were identified from these functions.