Assessment of Total Crude Protein during Growth and Development of Some Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench.) Cultivars Grown under Water Stress

Abstract

The total crude protein (TCP) changes during growth and development of some sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) cultivars under water stress was studied in a field experiment for two seasons (2017/2018 and 2018/2019) at the Demonstration Farm, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Khartoum. The design was split plot with three replicates. The main plots were assigned to water treatments and the subplots to the cultivars. Water stress was induced by watering treatments at intervals of 7 (T1), 14 (T2) and 21 (T3) days, and the sorghum cultivars were Wad Ahmed, Arfa Gadmak, Tabbat, Abu sabien and White Mugud. Leaves were collected for analysis of total crude protein percentage; at different growth stages (seedling, panicle initiation, booting, flowering, milk, soft dough, hard dough and physiological maturity). The results showed differences in TCP percentage among the cultivars with the highest value (15.2 %) recorded for Wad Ahmed under non-sress and the lowest values (8.4 %) recorded for White Mugud under non-stress Contrary to the other four varieties, TCP of Abu Sabien decreased from 13.8 % under non-stress to 10.6 % under stress conditions. The TCP percentage gradually decreased towards booting and flowering stages in most cultivars and they produced a high TCP percentage under the long watering interval (21days).