Sweet Sorghum Selection Using Variable Planting Dates.

As the quest for alternative fuels continues, sweet sorghum is a potential success in the bioenergy industry.  This water efficient annual is a prospective crop to be grown in the Southern U.S., and its main focus of research will be in biomass production and sugar yields.  One main advantage to growing sweet sorghum is that it is specifically grown for biofuels, unlike corn and other crops used in bioenergy production.  The purpose of using variable planting dates is to complement the sugarcane milling season.  Sweet sorghum will add an extra 100-200 days to the milling season for a combined total of eight months.  In my research, I am studying three different maturity groups of sweet sorghum hybrids: early, medium, and late.  The best hybrids will be selected upon criteria of sugar concentration, biomass yield, and carbohydrate percentage.  I planted each maturity group in the months of April, May, and June, and I will collect all yield data at the time of harvest.  I am confident in finding different sweet sorghum hybrids which will be able to complement the sugarcane milling season.