ABSTRACT
Sorghum bicolor Moench belongs to the family Gramineae. The inflorescence of sorghum is a panicle which consists of an axis or rachis from which lateral branches arise in whorls. Quinby stressed the importance of understanding the control of flowering and growth in sorghum because it relates to grain yield in temperate climates. The greatest variability in both cultivated and wild sorghums exists in the general area of Ethiopia. In sorghum, the spikelet development is basipetal; that is, the spikelets in the upper branches develop before those of lower branches. Curtis noted that locally adapted, photosensitive Nigerian sorghums usually outyielded standard Nigerian varieties from other areas. Sorghum is a SDP in its apparent Northeast African center of origin. Short early mutations in tropical sorghums were selected by farmers in southerly parts of the United States and have led to development of the relatively photoinsensitive sorghums grown commercially in long days temperate environments.
