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Plant Science Today (PST)

Research Articles

Vol. 13 No. 3 (2026)

Agronomic evaluation of sorghum in response to soil texture and seeding density

DOI
https://doi.org/10.14719/pst.14878
Submitted
6 April 2026
Published
08-09-2026 — Updated on 30-09-2026
Versions

Abstract

Sorghum is an important crop owing to its adaptability to diverse climatic conditions and its capacity to provide grain, forage, and ground cover. We aimed to evaluate the agronomic response of sorghum to different soil textures and seeding densities. The experiment was conducted in the district of Loma Plata during the 2023 and 2024 growing seasons. A randomized complete block design was used, arranged in a factorial scheme of year × texture × density with three replications. The treatments included two soil textures (sandy and sandy clay loam) and five sorghum seeding densities (2, 4, 8, 16, and 32 seeds per meter of row). Vegetative and yield-related traits were assessed. The means were subjected to a normality test and subsequently to analysis of variance. When significant effects were identified, treatment means were compared using Tukey’s test. A significant interaction was observed between soil texture and seeding density in terms of the number of tillers per hill, leaf-to-stem ratio, and panicle weight. In 2023, the greatest plant height was recorded in sandy clay loam (SCL) at 32 seeds per meter of row (SPMR), although high seeding density reduced the number of tillers in both soil textures. In 2024, SCL at 16 SPMR produced the highest above-ground biomass yield, while S at 8 SPMR achieved the highest grain yield and the best grain-to-dry-mass ratio. The combination of SCL and 8 SPMR favored the leaf-to-stem ratio, whereas S at 16 SPMR generated the highest percentage of panicle weight. Overall, sorghum growth and productivity varied according to soil texture, seeding density, and seasonal environmental conditions, indicating that plant population management should be adjusted according to soil and climatic conditions.

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