Abstract

Studies on sweet sorghum have been conducted in countries like Brazil, USA, India and Argentina to complement ethanol production. In Brazil, it is cultivated in areas for sugarcane renovation, and can be used in sugarcane industries. However, the use of chemical flowering inhibitor can increase sucrose in stalks, resulting in higher production. Therefore, the goal of the present study is to evaluate the effect of Etefom application on two sweet sorghum hybrids. The experiment was carried out with cultivation in “D” productive environment, using the Nexsteppe J53 and Embrapa BRS511 hybrids of sweet sorghum. Application of the flowering inhibitor was done 70 days after sowing. From the beginning to the end of the experiment, the plants’ development was evaluated according to their biometric aspects: height, diameter of the stalk, moisture, tons of stalks per hectare (TSH), tons of dry matter per hectare (TDM), Brix, liters of juice per hectare and liters of ethanol per hectare. Results of flowering inhibitor application in sweet sorghum are dependent on the hybrid used, with a higher response to J53 between 90 and 110 days after sowing.

Key words: Bioenergy, Sorghum bicolor, Etefom, ethanol.