Abstract

A field experiment was carried out at the Field Crop Research Station of State Board of Agricultural Research during 2004 and 2005 seasons to investigate the impact of competition on growth and yield of sorghum. Ankath cultivar was grown at three planting spaces (15, 20 and 25 cm) and three levels of number of plants per hill (1, 2 and 3 plants/hill) in RCBD arrangement in experimental factorial design with three replicates. The results showed that increasing plant competition by reduce of plant spacings and increase number of plants per hill reduced number of days from sowing to 50% anthesis, length of panicle, number of branches/panicle, grain weight and grain yield/plant while plant height and total grain yield were increased.
It can be concluded that close spacing and number of plant per hill gave more effectiveness competition in sorghum. However to obtain higher grain yield for individual plant it should be planted at spacing 20-25 cm with one plant per hill. But to obtain higher grain yield per unit area regardless of productivity of individual plant can be increasing plant population by reduce of plant spacing to15-20 cm and increase number of plants per hill to 2 and 3 plants.