The present work studied the growth of six genotypes of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench): two of sweet sorghum, two of grain sorghum and two of forage sorghum, planted in rows oriented in the North-South and East-West directions. In September, 1994, the trial was conducted on a plot of the Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias de Jaboticabal (FACVJ) of the UNESP, utilizing a randomized block design with twelve treatments and three replicates. The evaluations were made by means of weekly samplings, determining dry matter accumulation, leaf area and distribution of dry matter in the different plant parts. The sweet sorghum grew faster than the grain sorghum, and the grain sorghum had a shorter cycle than the others. The distribution of dry matter characterized the aptidude of each genotype, i.e., high efficiency in the transport of dry matter to the culms in the sweet sorghums, and preferential transport to grains in grain sorghum, and showing double aptitude in transport to the culms ands grains in the forage sorghums. The distribution pattern of dry matter was not affected by the orientation of planting rows.
Sorghum bicolor; dry matter; leaf area
