The application of starter fertilizer may also make grain sorghum mature faster. Such fertilizer should be banded 2 to 3 inches to the side of and below the seed. Adequate application rates for starter fertilizer should be about 20 to 30 pounds per acre of nitrogen and 20 pounds of P 2 O 5 . The nitrogen applied in the starter fertilizer should be considered as part of the total 80 to 100 pounds needed. Apply the remainder of the nitrogen three to five weeks after the grain sorghum emerges.
Various hybrids perform differently in different parts of Alabama.
Therefore, it is important to select hybrids which have performed well in variety trials in your area. Yield data from a single year should be interpreted with caution. Yielding ability is a complex trait which is influenced by many environmental factors. It is not unusual for the performance of a particular hybrid to vary considerably form year to year depending on weather conditions, disease, and insect incidence. For this reason, data from a single year may be misleading.