Adapted grain sorghum varieties have only limited resistance to head blight. Good crop management practices such as crop rotation and balanced fertility are the best defense against head blight. Double cropping of grain sorghum behind wheat should be avoided because the head blight fungus will attack both crops. Charcoal rot develops primarily on maturing grain sorghum under severe moisture stress. High plant populations, which reduce the drought tolerance of grain sorghum, are also known to contribute to charcoal rot damage.
Extensive lodging is largely responsible for yield loses related to charcoal rot.
Most adapted grain sorghum varieties are tolerant to charcoal rot except under conditions of severe drought stress. Following recommended seeding rates, fertility levels, and conducing timely harvesting to avoid losses due to lodging should reduce disease losses. Crop rotation is largely ineffective for controlling this disease due to the wide field crop host range of the charcoal rot fungus. Zonate leafspot, rough spot, and gray leafspot are common foliar diseases of grain sorghum. Incidence of all three diseases is highest in fields where grain sorghum or its close relatives are frequently grown.