IMPACT OF INTEGRATED ROW SPACING, FERTILIZER APPLICATION METHODS AND SOWING DATES ON BIOETHANOL PRODUCTION IN SORGHUM

In present times the world is facing a severe energy crisis. Therefore, alternative resources of energy have been studied to cope with this ever increasing global issue. The bioethanol from sorghum crop is a safe and environment-friendly energy resource. In this context, a series of field experiments had been conducted in two consecutive years 2016 and 2017 on bioethanol production in sorghum as influenced by row to row distance, fertilization and sowing date at the Department of Agronomy, Sindh Agriculture University, Tandojam. The use of bioethanol through sorghum can reduce the effects of greenhouse gases on the environment. It is also a source of renewable energy in the world. Sorghum is an excellent choice to meet future energy demands. Integrated approaches can maximize the overall benefits of farmers. The randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications was used for this study. The sowing was done with combined treatments based on three-row spacing such as 30 cm, 45 cm, and 60 cm, three fertilizer application methods (broadcasting, band application, and fertigation) and three sowing dates (18th April, 03rd May and 17th May) respectively. The statistical analysis of variance for all tested factors was significant at (p<0.05%) probability level. The results for combined impact of these three factors on all observed traits of study showed that leaves plant(-1), nodes plant(-1), plant height (cm), stem girth (cm), distance between nodes plant(-1) (cm), brix (degrees Bx) and ethanol yield (L ha(-1)) were affected at highly significant level except tillers plant(-1) that was non-significant. The maximum bioethanol yield (1725.9 L ha(-1)) was recovered with 45 cm rowspacing under fertilizer applied through the broadcasting method and sowing date of 17th May. Therefore, these three combined approaches should be applied in sorghum crop for establishing a developed and improved production technology to enhance bioethanol production.

Automated summary

Sorghum bioethanol is a safe and environmentally friendly energy resource that can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and serve as a renewable energy source. Research has shown that utilizing a row spacing of 45cm, broadcasting fertilization method, and sowing date of May 17th can maximize bioethanol yield.