Sorghum Irrigation and Water Information

With rising fuel prices and efforts to more efficiently utilize water for crop production, UNL Extension is working hard to help producers more effectively and efficiently use water resources while maintaining high crop yields. This page contains UNL Extension resources related to sorghum water use and irrigation management.

Since 2003, Nebraska producers have grown approximately 428,000 acres of grain sorghum per year.

• Of this total, approximately 13% or 55,000 acres were irrigated.
• Statewide irrigated grain sorghum yields have averaged 111 bushels/acre.
• Non-irrigated grain sorghum yields averaged 79 bushels/acre during this same period.

Grain Sorghum Irrigation (Texas A&M publication)
Peak water use for sorghum is just prior to boot stage.  Sorghum will use between 20-22 inches of water during the growing season.

Agricultural water users can optimize water use efficiency and protect the quality of water resources by applying basic information about irrigation systems, crop water use and management practices. For optimum water use efficiency and profitability, producers need to monitor rainfall, soil moisture and crop water uses and utilize cropping systems like no-till or reduced tillage to capture and retain as much precipitation as possible.

Irrigation Resources

For more information regarding irrigation resources, please go to the following links provided below from http://water.unl.edu.

Agricultural Irrigation Resources

Resources on Irrigation Operations & Management

Resources for Center Pivot Irrigation Systems

Resources on Furrow Irrigation

Resources for Subsurface Drip Irrigation Systems

Resources on Water Quality

Agricultural Water Management Demonstration Network

Resources on Water  UNL Extension's resource for everything related to water.

Resource on Wet Soil Conditions *pdf NebGuide publication