Netherlands: Cultivation of sorghum is not yet a good alternative to maize

A study into the cultivation of sorghum, set up in part by ZLTO, has been completed. Wageningen Environmental Research investigated whether sorghum is a workable alternative to silage maize. Sorghum can withstand drought better and needs less water. The research shows that growing sorghum presents new challenges, and in dry conditions does not necessarily yield more than silage maize. Sorghum has been mentioned for years as an alternative to maize. Foreign research has shown that the water requirement is much less, up to perhaps 50%. In addition, the roots of the sorghum plant penetrate well through compacted soil layers, resulting in an improvement of the soil structure. The rise of the maize borer also played a role, which could have major consequences for maize cultivation. The research was conducted in the dry summers of 2018, 2019 and 2020, on land with a highly compacted soil. Ultimately, the dry matter yield of the sorghum was lower than that of the maize. There was also no ...