Biomass and sugar production of sweet sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) for different sowing dates in Veracruz, Mexico

<p><strong>Background.</strong> The most commonly used raw materials for ethanol production are maize (<em>Zea mays</em> L.) and sugarcane (<em>Saccharum</em> <em>officinarum </em>L.). A specie that is gaining importance because of its comparative advantages over other energy crops is sweet sorghum (<em>Sorghum bicolor</em> (L.) Moench). The seasonality of production, which limits the continuous supply of sweet sorghum to the industry for ethanol production, is one of the limitations of this crop. <strong>Objective. </strong>To evaluate the biomass and sugar production of sweet sorghum genotypes for different sowing dates in Veracruz, Mexico conditions. <strong>Methodology.</strong> The development of ten genotypes was determined during the autumn-winter (October 2013), winter-spring (February 2014) and spring-summer (April 2014) cycles. Three genotypes were also tested on five planting dates: June 19th, July 1st, August 1st, September 1st, and October 2nd, at the Cotaxtla Experimental Station of the Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales, Agrícolas y Pecuarias (INIFAP), located in the municipality of Medellín de Bravo, Veracruz, México. <strong>Results.</strong> Sweet sorghum developed in all cropping seasons, but the highest productivity was obtained in the spring-summer. Stem biomass, sugar concentration, juice volume, and sugar production were highest in June, July, and August, following planting. As the planting date was later, the values decreased. <strong>Implications.</strong> The optimal planting date for sweet sorghum cultivation in the state of Veracruz was identified. This information will be helpful for producers to obtain higher biomass yields and for the ethanol industry to plan sweet sorghum production as a complementary raw material to sugarcane. <strong>Conclusions.</strong> The optimum sweet sorghum planting period for producing biomass and sugars under Veracruz, Mexico, conditions is during June, July, and August.</p>