Sentinel IG sorghum offers Allora growers weed control, highest yield

Sentinel IG sorghum offers Allora growers weed control, highest yield

Allora farmers David and Tanya Peters planted new imidazolinone-tolerant grain sorghum for the first time last summer, and not only did it offer them the option of in-crop weed control, it was their highest yielding sorghum variety.

The pair, who run crop and cattle property ‘Hillcrest’, planted 20 hectares of Sentinel IG – the first release in Pacific Seeds’ igrowth line – because they expected grass problems in spring and wanted the option to spray Intervix in-crop.

“We have a few problem spots of Johnson grass and nutgrass and thought we’d like the option of having an in-crop spray,” Mr Peters said.

“If it rained about planting time, we would’ve had issues and employed the technology, but the weather worked in our favour and we didn’t have to use it.”

They planted a total of 200ha of sorghum across varieties Sentinel IG, MR-Bazley, MR-Taurus and A66, and the Sentinel yielded highest at 6.2t/ha.

“The Sentinel was by far the standout, but it also had a bit better of a run being on our farthest block, which jagged a bit more rainfall.”

Mr Peters planted the sorghum at the end of October (2018), sprayed Starane and Atrazine on December 4 (2018), then on December 15 (2018), they received 125mm of rain. That was the last decent rain until March 17 (2019), when 40mm fell.

The growers then sprayed out the sorghum and ran the header through it in early April (2019).

They also planted 220ha of corn across an early plant and a later plant – with the early crop fairing much better.

Mr Peters said due to commodity prices, they’re looking to increase their sorghum plant this season and decrease their corn, with Sentinel featuring again.

“There’s another paddock we have Johnson grass issues with. It’s a low-lying paddock prone to floodwater and we can never really clean it up. That would be a good spot for it.”

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Featured Image: Neil Doyle, Olsens Produce Warwick, David Peters, ‘Hillcrest’, Allora, and Bill Smith, Pacific Seeds.