Dual-purpose sorghum response to anthracnose disease, growth, and yield was undertaken in Derashe and Arba Minch trial sites during March–June 2018 and 2019. Five sorghum varieties and Rara (local check) were arranged in a randomized complete block design with four replications. Variety Chelenko exhibited the tallest main crop plant height (430 cm) while Dishkara was the tallest (196.65 cm) at ratoon crop harvesting. Rara had a higher tiller number (main = 6.73, ratoon = 9.73) among the varieties. Dishkara and Chelenko varieties produced 50 and 10% more dry biomass yield (DBY) than the overall mean DBY, while Konoda produced 40% less. Although the anthracnose infestation was highest on the varieties Konoda (percentage severity index [PSI] = 20.37%) and NTJ_2 (PSI = 32.19%), they produced significantly (p < .001) higher grain yield (3.89 t/ha) than others. Under anthracnose pressure, Chelenko and Dishkara varieties are suggested for dry matter yield while NTJ_2 for grain yield production in the study area and similar agroecology.

Caucasian Old World bluestem (OWB) has escaped into native rangelands and could have unknown effects on distribution, utilization, growth, and reproduction of native plant and animal species. This trial was established to determine the rate and timing of glyphosate application that will provide the greatest OWB suppression. Treatments included glyphosate applied early at the five-leaf stage of growth with 1.12, 2.24, or 3.36 kg glyphosate ai ha−1 (1, 2, or 3 lb ai ac−1), sequential application with an early glyphosate application of 1.12, 2.24, or 3.36 kg ha−1 followed by a second application 8 wk later of either 1.12 or 2.24 kg ha−1, and a late-only application of 1.12, 2.24, or 3.36 kg ha−1. Sequential glyphosate applications with at least one of the early or late applications being 2.24 kg ha−1 or more reduced OWB frequencies from over 87% to below 30% each year. During a moist year, all sequential application treatments reduced OWB frequency to 12% or less. Frequency of OWB the year after application was directly related (r2 = 0.91) to the total amount of glyphosate applied during dry conditions. Seed heads were absent or nearly absent in all sequential application treatments, with the exception of glyphosate at 1.12 kg ha−1 applied early and late during the dry season. Sequential application of glyphosate that includes one treatment either early or late of 2.24 or 3.36 kg ha−1 appears to be the most effective treatment to reduce established OWB during dry years. During years of adequate moisture, a single late application of 2.24 or 3.36 kg ha−1 or sequential applications with 1.12 kg ha−1 at each application is as adequate as sequential applications with greater rates for reducing OWB frequency and achieving OWB control.

Herbicides used to control many forb species in pastures may injure desirable native grass species. Buffalograss, a major component of shortgrass rangeland, often is injured by some growth regulator herbicides, such as 2,4-D and dicamba. Aminocyclopyrachlor (formerly known as DPX-MAT28 and herein termed ACPCR), a new synthetic auxin herbicide chemistry for control of broadleaf weeds, was investigated for injury to buffalograss and control of forbs in shortgrass prairie at varying rates of application. In the season of application, ACPCR at rates of 140 g ai ha−1 or less caused buffalograss injury that was either negligible or short-lived, and visual estimates of grass injury were 8% or less at the end of the growing season. At ACPCR rates of 280 g ha−1, more injury was evident at 3 wk after treatment (WAT) than at the end of the season if adequate precipitation was available for new leaf growth. When precipitation was lacking, evidence of injury persisted through to the end of the season when treated at the greatest rate of ACPCR. Buffalograss injury was mainly in the form of browned leaf tips, but total buffalograss dry matter yield was not different between any treatments in either year. The year after treatment, no buffalograss injury was evident from any of the herbicide rates. Final forb control was 97% or greater each year for ACPCR at the 140 and 280 g ha−1 rates. In this experiment, rates as low as ACPCR at 140 g ha−1 provided excellent forb control and maintained buffalograss productivity.

Improved farming practices are needed to produce more food in a sustainable way. This study assessed 12 combinations of cover crop mixtures and amendment treatments and their effects on shoot and root dry (matter (DM) weights, nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) uptakes in plants, Mehlich-3 extractable P (PM3) and K (KM3). Shoot and root DM weights were increased by 30–63% with combinations of clover-based cover crop mixtures and 65 Mg ha−1 of municipal solid food waste (MSFW) compared with synthetic fertilizer. The combination of clover-based cover crop mixtures with MSFW increased N uptake by 38 and 30%, P uptake by 57 and 40% and K uptake by 77 and 77% compared with fertilized and unfertilized treatments, respectively. The combination of vetch-based cover crop mixtures with MSFW had no effect on N uptake, but increased P uptake on average by 43%, and K uptake on average by 11% compared with fertilized and unfertilized treatments. The highest soil PM3 and KM3 values were obtained with additions of MSFW, while the lowest were obtained with synthetic fertilizer indicating that the amount of P and K added with MSFW were greater than cover crop needs. Combining cover crop mixtures and MSFW at levels recommended for N fertilization allows meeting cover crops’ nutrient needs and increases biomass inputs to agricultural soils, but long-term monitoring of soil P is required to limit potential P build-up.

Triggered by the need to develop inter-seasonal, multi-cut cereal forage crops, this study aimed at the exploitation of phenotypic variations among the rich pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum L.) collections in Sudan for possible utilization in forage-type breeding programmes. A total of 100 pearl millet accessions were used in three field trials grown in rainy, winter and summer seasons (2008–2009) at the Gezira Research Station Farm and the Gezira University Experimental Farm. Wide diversity and highly significant differences in the total dry forage yield, days to harvest, plant height, number of tillers/plant and leaf/stem ratio were found among the accessions. At an 80% morphological similarity level, the 100 accessions of pearl millet were clustered into four main groups. In the rainy and winter seasons, 71 and 56% of the accessions produced forage yield of more than 5 t/ha, respectively. In contrast, 77% of the accessions produced less than 5 t/ha in the summer season. Among the top-ranking 25 accessions, two accessions (HSD 2190 and HSD 2236) were common in dry matter yield in the three seasons, whereas 11 accessions were identified in at least two seasons. The presence of such common accessions in more than one season is encouraging for growing pearl millet as a multi-cut crop for a longer period. These results indicated the possibility of the development of forage-suited varieties of pearl millet directly through further evaluation of those common accessions or indirectly through a crop breeding programme.