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ARS Home » Plains Area » Manhattan, Kansas » Center for Grain and Animal Health Research » Grain Quality and Structure Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #419133
Research Project: Grain Composition Traits Related to End-Use Quality and Value of Sorghum

Location: Grain Quality and Structure Research

Title: Impacts of Irrigation and N Management on Yield, Protein, and Amino Acid Composition in Grain Sorghum

Author
item OSTMEYER, TROY - Texas Tech University
item SAINI, DINESH - Texas Tech University
item IMPA, SOMAYANDA - Texas Tech University
item Peiris, Kamaranga
item Bean, Scott
item RITCHIE, GLEN - Texas Tech University
item Hayes, Chad
item BEAN, BRENT - United Sorghum Checkoff
item JAGADISH, KRISHNA - Texas Tech University

Submitted to: Cereal Chemistry
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/14/2025
Publication Date: 9/15/2025
Citation: Ostmeyer, T.J., Saini, D.K., Impa, S.M., Peiris, K.H., Bean, S.R., Ritchie, G., Hayes, C.M., Bean, B., Jagadish, K.S. 2025. Impacts of Irrigation and N Management on Yield, Protein, and Amino Acid Composition in Grain Sorghum. Cereal Chemistry. Volume 102. Issue 5. Pages 866-879. https://doi.org/10.1002/cche.70004.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/cche.70004

Interpretive Summary: The production of sorghum in the High Plains of the United States faces challenges due to the highly variable climate, poor water availability, and low soil fertility. While sorghum is known for its adaptability to harsh environments, stresses such as insufficient moisture and/or nutrients, particularly nitrogen, can significantly reduce its yield. To address these challenges, interactions among levels of irrigation and timing of nitrogen fertilizer application were evaluated on 11 grain sorghum hybrids to determine the interactions between water and nitrogen use. As expected, irrigation increased grain yield. Applying nitrogen fertilizer at two different times rather than just once also increased grain yield. Both irrigation and fertilization impacted the amino acid composition of the grain, with irrigation increasing lysine levels in the grain. The findings from this research show that sorghum is not only a water use efficient crop, but it is also highly sustainable in N uptake and cycling, making it a promising option for sustainable agriculture.

Technical Abstract: The production of sorghum in the High Plains of the United States faces challenges due to the highly variable climate, poor water availability, and low soil fertility. To address this challenge, the interactions among three varying levels of irrigation and two timings of nitrogen application were evaluated on 11 grain sorghum hybrids under field conditions. Full irrigation enhanced grain yield by 85-91 % compared to other irrigations. Whereas split N application induced around 34% increase in grain yield compared to basal N treatment. The increase in grain yield under full irrigation and split N application was a result of increased panicle length and grains per panicle. Residual plant N increased under full irrigation and split N application compared to other treatments. Both irrigation and nitrogen impacted the composition of multiple amino acids, with all the 18 amino acids differing between hybrids. Full irrigation with split N resulted in an average of more than 50 kg N ha-1 retained in the leaves after grain harvest supporting sorghum’s sustainability in crop rotational systems. These findings highlight that adjusting nitrogen fertilizer rates based on available water and the hybrid has the potential to prevent negative environmental impact and simultaneously improve agronomic and grain quality.