Rainfall and the prediction of sorghum yield in South Africa

Abstract

Sorghum yield of smallholder farmers is low and that of commercial farmers remained stagnant from 1980 to 1997. The most important production constraint was identified by correlating within season rainfall with annual average sorghum yield. The results indicate that moisture stress is the most important production constraint and that drought resistant cultivars should be developed for increasing and stabilizing yield. For the South African commercial sorghum industry, yields can be predicted from total February or November to March rainfall. © 2003 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.