Quality, Sugar and Ethanol Yield Response of Sweet Sorghum Genotypes to Different Dates of Sowing

Field experiment was conducted at Main Agricultural Research Station, University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad on medium deep Vertisol during rabi 2002 and 2003 to study the production potential of sweet sorghum genotypes for grain and ethanol production as influenced by management practices. The results revealed that quality characters such as brix, pol percentage and reducing sugar of juice were significantly higher in genotype NSSH-1. Sugar yield and ethanol yield were significantly higher in NSSH-1 over other genotypes. The brix, reducing sugar and ethanol yield were significantly higher when the crop was planted at 1st fortnight of October. The interaction effects were significant. Combination of NSSH-1 cultivar with 1st fortnight of October sowing (G4D2) recorded significantly higher ethanol yield (284.32 l ha–1) over rest of the treatment combinations.