World Journal of Agricultural Research, 2017, Vol. 5, No. 1, 1-4 Available online at http://pubs.sciepub.com/wjar/5/1/1 ©Science and Education Publishing DOI:10.12691/wjar-5-1-1 Agronomic Performance of Forage Sorghum Genotypes as Affected by Watering Interval in Semi-arid Environment Salaheldeen E. Ahmed 1 , Ahmed M. El Naim 1,* , Yasin M. Dagash 2 1 Department of Crop science, Faculty of Natural Resources and Environmental Studies, University of Kordofan, Elobeid, Sudan 2 Department of Agronomy, College of Agricultural Studies, Sudan University of science and technology, Khartoum, Sudan *Corresponding author: naim17amn@yahoo.com Abstract In the latest years, scarcity of rainfall in North Kordofan of Sudan led to the search for irrigation water for cultivation of fodder crops to fill the gap in fodder production, hence the North Kordofan state characterized by a limited water situations. Therefore, efficient use of irrigation water seems to be of vital importance. This situation emphasizes the need for using earlier variety and scientifically sound methods for deciding when and how much to irrigate the crops. A field experiment was carried out during two successive seasons (2014/2015) and (2015/2016), to investigate the effect of ten genotypes and two watering intervals (seven and ten days) on growth and yield of forage sorghum. The treatments were arrange in a split plot design with three replications. The results showed that there were significant differences among watering intervals and genotypes for the most characters measured. The Watering interval of seven days significantly improved growth and forage yield of sorghum. Hybrid Pioneer was superior in plant height, leaf to stem ratio (LSR), fresh and dry forage yield (ton/ha) compared to other genotypes. Keywords: fodder crop, hay, irrigation, pasture Cite This Article: Salaheldeen E. Ahmed, Ahmed M. El Naim, and Yasin M. Dagash, “Agronomic Performance of Forage Sorghum Genotypes as Affected by Watering Interval in Semi-arid Environment.” World Journal of Agricultural Research, vol. 5, no. 1 (2017): 1-4. doi: 10.12691/wjar-5-1-1. 1. Introduction Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) is a cereal plant member of the family of Poaceae. Sorghum crop adapted to drought areas is a crop of hot, semi-arid tropical environment with 400–600 mm rainfall areas [1,2]. Sorghum plant has a potentiality of quick growth to produce grain yield and good fodder [3,24]. It is an excellent pasture plant with no danger of bloat. It can produced under irrigated in dry farming conditions [4]. These advantages include high water use efficiency and could be a good alternative to maize under limited water in the semi-arid conditions [5]. In Sudan, sorghum forage production is primarily concentrated in the central and eastern states. Its production system is mainly under irrigation. Sudan average yield of dry sorghum forage ranges between 6.55 and 10.08 ton/hectare. The irrigated green forage production in the Sudan is about 4 million tons per year. Sorghum forage production is small compared with other forages, it, production is only about 4% of the total forage produced in the Sudan [6]. In North Kordofan State, where its characterized by a large numbers of animal wealth, the demand for forage and fodder is continuously increasing due increasing numbers of animals. Moreover, very few efforts, with regard to selection or evaluation of known forage sorghum were exerted. This imposed a crucial need to practice evaluation and selection for good forage sorghum suitable for the state to be cultivated under irrigation condition. One of the most important factors affecting plant growth and yield is watering intervals [7]. El Naim et al [8] mentioned that moisture stress significantly affect stomata closure, decline in growth rate and photosynthesis. It has negative effect on plant growth and development. Water stress in plants led to leaf area reduction, leaf senescence and reduction in cell development [9]. Thus, the aim of this work was to evaluate the productivity of ten genotype of forage sorghum under different irrigation intervals. 2. Materials and Methods 2.1. Experimental Site This study was carried at the Experimental Farm of crop Sciences Department, Faculty of Natural Resources and Environmental Studies, University of Kordofan, Sudan, Latitude (11-15° N) and longitude (27-32°E). The climate of the area is arid and semi-arid with sandy soil, annual rainfall ranges between 350-450 mm [10]. Average maximum daily temperature ranges between 30-40°C throughout the year 2.2. Experimental design and field layout Two field experiments were conducted during winter season (2015/2016) and (2016//2017). It based on