Release of three grain sorghum pure line varieties in Botswana

Abstract

Three sorghum varieties, Macia, SDS 2583 and Bot 79, were cooperatively developed by the Botswana National Agricultural Research System (NARS) and the Southern African Development Community/International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (SADC/ICRISAT). These were jointly tested for four years followed by on-farm verification. Milling and grain quality traits were also evaluated. All have no known disease problems of concern in Botswana. The three varieties were released by Botswana's Department of Agricultural Research on 19 July 1994, and respectively renamed, with farmer input, as Phofu (Macia), Mahube (SDS 2583) and Mmabaitse (Bot 79).