Tr. Sinclair et al., MODEL ANALYSIS OF SORGHUM RESPONSE TO NITROGEN IN SUBTROPICAL AND TROPICAL ENVIRONMENTS, Agronomy journal, 89(2), 1997, pp. 201-207
Nitrogen fertilization is important in achieving high sorghum [Sorghum
bicolor (L.) Moench] yields. Under semiarid conditions, however, the
response to N is confounded by seasonal differences in water availabil
ity. A simple, mechanistic model was developed to interpret measuremen
ts of the growth and yield of sorghum at different levels of N and wat
er supply. The structure of the sorghum-N model was equivalent to a pr
eviously developed maize-N (Zea mays L.) model, including the N uptake
function, which depends on thermal units. The sorghum-N model was dev
eloped considering experimental results obtained in the tropical clima
te of Katherine, Australia. After adjusting coefficients to describe l
eaf and grain development for sorghum instead of maize, the model simu
lated crop N uptake, growth, and grain yield. Without any further chan
ges in the model, sorghum grown in the subtropical climate of Lawes, A
ustralia, with grain yields ranging from 121 to 886 g m(-2), was well
simulated by the model. A third set of data obtained in an irrigation-
N application experiment at Hyderabad, India, was compared against mod
el results. After adjusting the coefficients that describe the develop
ment of the cultivar and the soil organic content at this location, th
e model produced results comparable to experimental results. Analysis
of the model results led to two interesting hypotheses concerning the
experiment at Hyderabad: (i) the irrigation level of the well-watered
treatment appeared to be inadequate to avoid drought stress at the end
of the cropping season, and (ii) there was seemingly about 4 g N m(-2
) of soil N unavailable to the crop in each of the irrigation treatmen
ts. Overall, the sorghum-N model proved useful in interpreting and ana
lyzing held measurements of development, growth, and yield of sorghum
grown under diverse conditions.