Effect of elevated night temperature during panicle development on sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) yield components

Two field experiments were conducted in 1978 and 1979 to determine the effect of two levels of night temperature elevation on sorghum yield components and to identify growth periods most sensitive to elevated night temperatures. Temperature treatments (5 and 10C above ambient) imposed during five different 7-day periods significantly (P = 0.05) reduced various yield components by between 16 and 22% but increased grain weight by 20%. Growth stages differed markedly with respect to their sensitivities to elevated night temperatures. A period of one week after floret differentiation was the most sensitive during panicle development.