INFLUENCE OF SOME TECHNOLOGICAL FACTORS ON GRAIN SORGHUM (Sorghum bicolor (L.) MOENCH VAR. Eusorghum) YIELD GROWN UNDER THE CONDITIONS OF SOUTHEASTERN ROMANIA

Our research was aimed to analyse the behavior of the grain sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench var. Eusorghum) grown under the ecological conditions of Southeastern Romania (Moara Domneasca, Ilfov county), and to assess its yield potential. Research was based on a split plot experiment where the following factors were analyzed: Factor A – grain sorghum hybrids with three graduations - Alize, Aquilon, Arack, Factor B - distance between rows with two graduations – at 70 cm and 50 cm, Factor C - fertilization treatments with 10 graduations – N0P0K0 (Control), N60P0K0, N90P0K0, N120P0K0, N90P60K0, N90P60K0+foliar fertilization, N90P60K60, N90P60K60+foliar fertilization, N120P60K0, N120P60K60. In the field conditions of the 2013-2014 agricultural year, grain sorghum crop produced a total average biomass (September, 2014) that varied from 26.59 t/ha in the hybrid Arack to 26.70 t/ha in the hybrid Alize at 70 cm distance between rows, and between 26.71 t/ha in the hybrid Alize and 27.75 t/ha in the hybrid Arack at the distance of 50 cm between rows. Depending on the fertilization rates, the total biomass at 70 cm between rows ranged from 19.18 t/ha in the hybrid Arack unfertilized to 31.69 t/ha in the hybrid Aquilon fertilized N120P60K60+fertilization during the vegetative period. At the distance of 50 cm between rows the total biomass according to the fertilization rates varied between 19.14 t/ha in the hybrid Alize unfertilized and 31.77 t/ha in the hybrid Aquilon fertilized N120P60K60+fertilization during the vegetative period. The average grain yield for the three hybrids, depending on the fertilization rates, varied from 6 t/ha (Ct) to 10.6 t/ha (N120P60K60+fertilization during the vegetative period) for the distance of 70 cm between rows and from 6.2 t/ha (Ct) and 10.4 t/ha (N120P60K60+fertilization during the vegetative period) for the distance of 50 cm between rows.