100 Indian Journal of Agricultural Sciences 94 (1): 100–103, January 2024/Short Communication https://doi.org/10.56093/ijas.v94i1.123726 Impact of irrigation and nitrogen management on crop performance, yield and economics of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) in Kandahar region of Afghanistan HIKMATULLAH YON 1 , C M PARIHAR 2 *, NORULHAQ MOHAMMADI 1 , S L JAT 3 , B R MEENA 2 , KIRANMOY PATRA 2 , H S NAYAK 2 , KAMLESH KUMAR 2 , M D PARIHAR 4 , MOHAMMAD YAR MAKAKZAI 1 , B N MANDAL 5 and RAJ SINGH 2 Afghanistan National Agricultural Science and Technology University, Kandahar, Afghanistan Received: 07 May 2022; Accepted: 18 October 2023 Keywords: Economics, Irrigation scheduling, Nitrogen management, Yield 1 Afghanistan National Agricultural Science and Technology University, Kandahar, Afghanistan; 2 ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi; 3 ICAR-Indian Institute of Maize Research, New Delhi Unit; 4 Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, Haryana; 5 ICAR-Indian Agricultural Statistics Research Institute, New Delhi. *Corresponding author email: pariharcm@gmail.com Sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] stands as a versatile cereal, serving various purposes including grain and forage. In Afghanistan, it predominantly thrives in the eastern and northern regions. Notably, nitrogen (N) emerges as the most deficient nutrient in Afghan soils. Given this context, determining the optimal N requirement becomes paramount to establish application rates for enhanced biomass production. Sorghum, characterized as a C 4 plant, exhibits noteworthy traits in biomass yield and N utilization efficiency (Gardner et al. 1994). Effective nitrogen management not only impacts crop yield but also augments its overall quality (Mahmud et al. 2003, Meena et al. 2023). The application of nitrogen fertilizer is known to raise sucrose content, protein percentage and growth rate in sweet sorghum. To get good yield of sorghum, proper irrigation scheduling at critical stages like tillering, flowering and grain formation are very crucial. In summer/ kharif season, it requires 1 to 3 irrigations depending upon rainfall. Over time, a combination of biotic and abiotic factors, along with shifts in consumption trends and demand, has led to a consistent reduction in both cultivated area and grain production. Consequently, this research aimed to assess the sorghum's performance in terms of crop growth, yield and farm profitability. This evaluation was conducted under varying irrigation schedules and nitrogen management approaches in the Kandahar region of Afghanistan. The experiment was conducted during the rainy (kharif) season of 2020 at the research farm of Afghanistan National Agricultural Science and Technology University, Kandahar, Afghanistan. Kandahar experiences a subtropical steppe/low-latitude semi-arid hot climate. The soil at the experimental site is characterized as sandy loam, with a neutral pH, and low nitrogen, medium phosphorus and high potassium availability. The area's annual mean temperature was recorded at 18.5°C, with a total annual average precipitation of 190.6 mm. Relative humidity ranges from a low of 23% in June to a high of 59% in February (source: https://weather-and-climate.com). Notably, the highest temperature observed during the crop growth period was 48.9°C (from July 8 to 14), while the lowest temperature was 21.9°C (from April 1 to 7). Additionally, the maximum relative humidity reached 32.3% during July 1 to 7, and the minimum was 18.4% from June 24 to 30. The experiment was conducted in a split-plot design with 3 replications consisting of 3 irrigation scheduling in main-plots, viz. Irrigation at sowing and flowering stage (I 1 ); Irrigation at sowing and grain filling stage (I 2 ); and Irrigation at sowing, flowering and grain filling stage (I 3 ) and 4 N application rates in sub-plots, viz. without N (absolute control-N0); 40 kg/ha (N40); 80 kg N/ha (N80); and 120 kg N/ha (N120). Measurement of growth parameters, yield attributes, yield and economics: The determination of growth parameters, yield attributes, yields, harvest index, and economic aspects for sorghum followed the established methodology outlined by Parihar et al. (2017). Statistical analysis: The growth parameters, yield attributes, yields, harvest index, and economic aspects of sorghum were subjected to analysis using the split-plot design with analysis of variance (ANOVA) technique, as outlined by Gomez and Gomez (1984). The ANOVA was executed to ascertain the statistical significance of the