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2015/2016 Sorghum Harvest and Export Quality Report

Contents

  1. Harvest Quality Highlights
  2. Export Quality Highlights
  3. Introduction
  4. Harvest Quality Test Results
  5. Moisture
  6. Physical Factors
  7. Mycotoxins
  8. Export Quality Test Results
  9. Moisture
  10. Chemical Composition
  11. Physical Factors
  12. Mycotoxins
  13. Crop and Weather Conditions
  14. Planting and Early Growth Conditions
  15. Late Vegetative and Mid-Pollination Conditions
  16. Maturity and Harvest Conditions
  17. Comparison of 2015 to 2010-2014
  18. U.S. Sorghum Export System
  19. U.S. Sorghum Export Flow
  20. Impact of the Sorghum Market Channel on Quality
  21. U.S. Government Inspection and Grading
  22. U.S. Sorghum Production, Usage and Outlook
  23. U.S. Sorghum Use and Ending Stocks
  24. Outlook
  25. Harvest Survey and Statistical Analysis Methods
  26. Survey Design and Sampling
  27. Statistical Analysis
  28. Export Survey and Statistical Analysis Methods
  29. Survey Design and Sampling
  30. Statistical Analysis
  31. Testing Analysis Methods
  32. Sorghum Grading Factors
  33. Moisture
  34. Chemical Composition
  35. Physical Factors
  36. Mycotoxin Testing
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A. Planting and Early Growth Conditions

Abundant rain delayed planting time

Weather, primarily precipitation and temperature, affects sorghum growth and development from pre-planting through harvest. Weather factors present a complex interaction with the genotype (sorghum hybrids) and management practices (i.e., planting date, soil fertility, pesticide applications) utilized in sorghum production. Grain yield in sorghum is a function of number of plants per acre, number of tillers3 per plant, number of grains per head, and final seed weight per individual grain. Wet and cool planting conditions can decrease uniformity, delay emergence, or hinder early plant growth, which may result in a lower number of plants and/or lower yields per area. Sorghum can compensate for small stand reductions via tillering capacity. Drier and warmer conditions than normal early in the growing season are benefcial for proper root establishment and plant-to-plant uniformity. This is because these conditions promote the development of deeper root systems for adequate anchorage and sustain continuous access to water and nutrients during the growing season.

1. Early Harvest Area

Overall, early planting conditions from February to April in the EHA were impacted by relatively below-normal or normal temperatures and much-above-normal precipitation (more than 10 inches of excess moisture). These conditions promoted a very slow start to the planting season, with almost no planting progress until March.

3Tillers are stems smaller than the main plant stalk that can also develop fertile heads.

2. Late Harvest Area

Planting was also delayed in the LHA due to wet conditions during May to June, despite normal temperatures. The 2015 LHA planting season spanned from April until July, with the largest progress made during June. For some areas in the LHA, this three-month interval was the wettest on record, slowing down planting and early plant growth. The abundant rain also may have affected root establishment by inducing stunted plants and fertility loss, as well as by diminishing favorable early crop conditions.