Sorghum bicolor

Species determination

Record an identification supported by observed characters, retaining alternatives when required organs are unavailable.

1. Which panicle, spikelet, glume, ligule and underground-organ observations support Sorghum bicolor over maize, millets or Johnsongrass? definition
2. Which voucher, photographs, key and determiner support the identification, and what remains unobserved? provenance

Material identity

Keep cultivar and hybrid claims traceable without creating new registry entities from agricultural labels.

1. What seed-source or accession evidence establishes the cultivar, pedigree and claimed grain, forage, sweet-stem or broomcorn type? provenance
2. Under the adopted taxonomic authority, does this sudangrass-labelled, wild or hybrid material belong within Sorghum bicolor or require a relation to another entry? boundary

Emergence and survival

Distinguish seed performance, emergence failure and later seedling loss.

1. What germination evidence, planting date and emergence observations connect the seed source to the living plants? provenance
2. What are surviving plant density and spatial gaps, and what evidence explains missing or delayed seedlings? measurement

Developmental readiness

Assign stages separately where main culms and tillers differ.

1. Which observed features establish boot, heading, flowering, grain-fill or physiological-maturity stage, and how variable are they across tillers? measurement
2. After cutting or injury, which basal buds or tillers remain alive, and what evidence supports allowing regrowth or ending the crop? action

Stress and recovery

Record the severity, timing and reversibility of growth limitation.

1. What soil-water, temperature and nutrient evidence accompanies leaf rolling, poor growth, frost injury or impaired panicle development? measurement
2. Which locally supported intervention or follow-up observation is appropriate for this cultivar and stage? action

Damage attribution and function

Distinguish suspected aphid feeding, stalk disease, panicle disease, bird damage and mechanical lodging.

1. Which tissues and proportion of plants are affected, and what observations or tests support the suspected cause? measurement
2. Does the damage justify further diagnosis, a locally authorised intervention or a change in harvest timing? action

Harvest target and quality

Choose measurements appropriate to grain, forage, sweet stems or broomcorn panicles.

1. Which output is intended, and what grain moisture, biomass dry matter, stem Brix or panicle-length and integrity measurements are relevant? measurement
2. What evidence supports harvesting now, delaying harvest or redirecting the material to another evaluated use? action

Cyanide and nitrate assessment

Young growth, frost and growth-limiting conditions can affect forage hazards; cyanide and nitrate require distinct interpretations. [University of Wisconsin Extension](https://cropsandsoils.extension.wisc.edu/articles/prussic-acid-and-nitrate-toxicity-in-sorghums/)

1. What recent drought, frost, nitrogen application, cutting and regrowth history determines which tissues need sampling? provenance
2. What do separate cyanide-potential and nitrate assays report, including analyte, units, moisture basis, sample handling and date? measurement
3. For the intended animal and forage route, does current evidence support use, require retesting or require deferral under applicable guidance? action

Seed parent and pollen context

Keep maternal identity, nearby flowering sorghums and expected offspring identity distinct.

1. Which plants supplied the seed, what is their fertility status, and which compatible sorghums flowered nearby at the same time? provenance
2. What isolation, controlled-pollination or progeny evidence is needed before collected seed can be used for the intended cultivar or breeding purpose? action

Persistence and control window

Use reproductive state and observed recruitment to assess retention or removal.

1. Are plants deliberately planted, volunteers or escapes, and what seed shedding or later seedling emergence has actually been observed? measurement
2. If removal is intended, what action before further seed production and what subsequent monitoring are appropriate locally? action

Kinds and varieties

Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.

1. Which of these kinds and varieties hold for the sense of Sorghum bicolor this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance

Identifiers and schemes

Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.

1. Which of these identifiers and schemes hold for the sense of Sorghum bicolor this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance

Standards and regulation

Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.

1. Which of these standards and regulation hold for the sense of Sorghum bicolor this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance

Real-world use

Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.

1. Which of these real-world use hold for the sense of Sorghum bicolor this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance

Typical measurements

Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.

1. Which of these typical measurements hold for the sense of Sorghum bicolor this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance

Failure modes and hazards

Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.

1. Which of these failure modes and hazards hold for the sense of Sorghum bicolor this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance

Regional variation

Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.

1. Which of these regional variation hold for the sense of Sorghum bicolor this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance

Neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart

Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.

1. Which of these neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart hold for the sense of Sorghum bicolor this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance