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Comparing a Strain of Illinois Sorghum to Tennessee Johnsongrass (Sorghum halepense)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 June 2017

Jon P. Chernicky  and
Fred W. Slife
Jon P. Chernicky
Affiliation:
Dep. Agron., Univ. of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801
Fred W. Slife
Affiliation:
Dep. Agron., Univ. of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801
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Abstract

Uncertainty exists among extension agents and growers in northern Illinois whether a particular sorghum (Sorghum sp.) strain should be identified as johnsongrass [Sorghum halepense (L.) Pers. ♯ SORHA] or sorghum-almum (Sorghum almum Parodi. ♯ SORAL). To reduce confusion over its identity, field studies were conducted at Urbana, IL, in 1982 and 1983 to determine if phenotypic differences existed between a johnsongrass strain from Tennessee and the northern Illinois sorghum strain. Three planting dates (May 20, June 3, June 17) were used to determine if time of establishment would affect growth habits and phenotypic expression. Averaged over planting dates, the Illinois sorghum was taller (200 cm vs. 161 cm), produced more seed per panicle (2215 vs. 741), and had a larger shoot to rhizome plus root ratio (2:1 vs. 1:1) and a wider leaf blade (4.6 cm vs. 2.9 cm) than johnsongrass. In contrast, the johnsongrass produced more rhizomes per plant (51 vs. 10) with almost eight times the cumulative rhizome length per plant (778 cm vs. 117 cm). These results were consistent across planting dates. Comparison of chromosome counts from pollen mother cells and root tips showed both johnsongrass and the Illinois sorghum had 2n = 40; thus observed differences between the sorghum strains could not be explained by differences in chromosome number. The northern Illinois sorghum strain more closely resembled sorghum-almum morphologically than the Tennessee johnsongrass.

Keywords

Grain sorghumsorghum-almumecotypesSORALSORHA
Type
Weed Biology and Ecology
Information
Weed Science , Volume 33 , Issue 3 , May 1985 , pp. 328 - 332
Copyright
Copyright © 1985 by the Weed Science Society of America 

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References

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