drought · Growth · Sorghum

Results differ73 papers: 14 positive, 59 negative or no effect · 10 pairs of papers confirmed to differ

104 claims from these papers; 28 citations between them.

Papers whose results differ, checked claim by claim 10

10 pairs of papers on this question report results that differ: an effect in one paper, the opposite effect or no effect in the other. Two model reviewers reading both claims accepted each pair.

Effect of Water Deficit Stress on the Physiology, Growth and Leaf Cell Ultrastructure of Sorghum (Sorghum bicolorr (L.) Moench) (2008)
no changeJigurti growth parameters showed no significant reduction even at severe water deficit.
Changes in photosynthetic and chlorophyll fluorescence characteristics of sorghum under drought and waterlogging stress (2019)
decreaseDrought and waterlogging limited sorghum growth.
What separates themSituation: not stated · waterloggingCompare the two papers →
Water stress affects the germination, emergence, and growth of different sorghum cultivars (2006)
decreaseWater deficit significantly reduced germination rate and percentage in sorghum.
Seed germination and storage reserves of maize and sorghum after exposure to and recovery from pre- and post-flowering dehydration (2010)
no changePre- and post-flowering dehydration did not affect germination of sorghum seeds.
The records name no dose, test system or situation that separates the two claims.Compare the two papers →
Comparative Effects of Salt and Water Stress on Seed Germination and Early Embryo Growth in Two Cultivars of Sweet Sorghum (2012)
decreaseWater stress below −0.6 MP a reduced germination by 8–30% relative to control.
The effect of water limitation in the field on seed quality of maize and sorghum (1997)
no changeWater limitation had no effect on sorghum seed germination or vigour by the reported tests.
The records name no dose, test system or situation that separates the two claims.Compare the two papers →
Drought Stresses on Seed Germination and Early Growth of Maize and Sorghum (2019)
no changeSorghum germination was not reduced at water stress up to -0.2 MPa.
Seedling growth responses of fodder sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] genotypes under drought stress (2025)
decreasePEG 10% significantly decreased germination percentage in fodder sorghum relative to distilled water.
The records name no dose, test system or situation that separates the two claims.Compare the two papers →
Effect of Water Deficit Stress on the Physiology, Growth and Leaf Cell Ultrastructure of Sorghum (Sorghum bicolorr (L.) Moench) (2008)
no changeJigurti growth parameters showed no significant reduction even at severe water deficit.
Alleviation The Deleterious Impact of Water Stress on Sorghum Bicolor (L.) Plants Using Biostimulant Humic Acid (2023)
decreaseWater deficit at 75% FC and 50% FC decreased vegetative growth parameters of sorghum.
The records name no dose, test system or situation that separates the two claims.Compare the two papers →
Water stress affects the germination, emergence, and growth of different sorghum cultivars (2006)
decreaseWater deficit significantly reduced germination rate and percentage in sorghum.
The effect of water limitation in the field on seed quality of maize and sorghum (1997)
no changeWater limitation had no effect on sorghum seed germination or vigour by the reported tests.
The records name no dose, test system or situation that separates the two claims.Compare the two papers →

Show 4 more pairs

Water stress affects the germination, emergence, and growth of different sorghum cultivars (2006)
decreaseWater deficit significantly reduced germination rate and percentage in sorghum.
Drought Stresses on Seed Germination and Early Growth of Maize and Sorghum (2019)
no changeSorghum germination was not reduced at water stress up to -0.2 MPa.
The records name no dose, test system or situation that separates the two claims.Compare the two papers →
Seed germination and storage reserves of maize and sorghum after exposure to and recovery from pre- and post-flowering dehydration (2010)
no changePre- and post-flowering dehydration did not affect germination of sorghum seeds.
Seedling growth responses of fodder sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] genotypes under drought stress (2025)
decreasePEG 10% significantly decreased germination percentage in fodder sorghum relative to distilled water.
The records name no dose, test system or situation that separates the two claims.Compare the two papers →
Comparative Effects of Salt and Water Stress on Seed Germination and Early Embryo Growth in Two Cultivars of Sweet Sorghum (2012)
decreaseWater stress below −0.6 MP a reduced germination by 8–30% relative to control.
Drought Stresses on Seed Germination and Early Growth of Maize and Sorghum (2019)
no changeSorghum germination was not reduced at water stress up to -0.2 MPa.
The records name no dose, test system or situation that separates the two claims.Compare the two papers →
The effect of water limitation in the field on seed quality of maize and sorghum (1997)
no changeWater limitation had no effect on sorghum seed germination or vigour by the reported tests.
Seedling growth responses of fodder sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] genotypes under drought stress (2025)
decreasePEG 10% significantly decreased germination percentage in fodder sorghum relative to distilled water.
The records name no dose, test system or situation that separates the two claims.Compare the two papers →

How these papers cite each other

28 citations between these papers: 26 on the same side, 2 across the two sides.

Positive result
Negative result or no effect
Citation, pointing to the cited paper
Citation across the two sides
Larger circle: more citations overall

Years run left to right. Citations come from the papers’ OpenAlex reference lists. Hover a paper to bring forward its citations; click it to open the paper.

Papers reporting a positive result 14

Resumption of Water Uptake by Sorghum after Water Stress · 1993
- positive
  Water stressed sorghum had a larger root to shoot ratio than controls.
  compared with controls
- positive
  Water stressed sorghum had a larger root weight to length ratio than controls.
  compared with controls
Mechanism of Interspecific Differences among Four Gramineous Crops in Growth Response to Soil Drying. · 1996
- positive
  Under water stress, total root length was significantly increased in sorghum and pearl millet.
  compared with continued in others
cited by 1 paper here
Effect of moisture stress on sorghum yield and its components · 1999
- positive
  Moisture stress increased sorghum tillering.
Effects of Water Stress on Growth, Pigments and ¹⁴CO₂ Assimilation in Three Sorghum Cultivars · 2000
- positive
  Water stress improved root/shoot ratio.
- negative
  Water stress reduced relative growth and net assimilation at either vegetative or reproductive stage.
Canopy and leaf photosynthetic characteristics and water use efficiency of sweet sorghum under drought stress · 2012
- positive
  Canopy and leaf water use efficiency were highest under moderate drought stress in sweet sorghum.
- negative
  Increasing drought stress gradually reduced canopy apparent photosynthetic rate and leaf photosynthetic rate in sweet sorghum.
Dry Soil Planting of Sorghum for Vertisols of Ethiopia · 2014
- positive
  W3 water deficit was less detrimental to sorghum establishment and early growth than rainfall followed by a dry period.
  compared with rainfall after planting followed by a dry period of 15 d
Effect of Different Osmopriming Sources and Levels on Germination and Root Length of Sorghum · 2014
- positive
  PEG 8000 gave the maximum germination of 94 %.
cited by 1 paper here
Seed Priming with Polyethylene Glycol Induces Physiological Changes in Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) Seedlings under Suboptimal Soil Moisture Environments · 2015
- positive
  Seed priming with PEG was effective in improving seed germination and seedling establishment of sorghum under adverse soil moisture conditions.
cited by 1 paper here
Eff ect of propiconazole and salicylic acid on the growth and photosynthetic pigments in Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench. under drought condition · 2016
- positive
  In sorghum, individual and combined drought stress with PCZ and SA treatments increased root length compared with control.
  compared with control
Irrigated forage production in the central clay plains of Sudan 135 · 2016
- positive
  Irrigation prior to cultivation and sowing during the dry season nearly doubled field emergence of sorghum.
ACC deaminase activity of bacterial species involved in conferring drought tolerance in sorghum (Sorghum biolor L.) · 2018
- positive
  The moisture stress tolerant bacterial isolates enhanced plant growth promoting activity of sorghum under moisture stress.
Priming improves germination and seed reserve utilization, growth, antioxidant responses and membrane stability at early seedling stage of Saudi sorghum varieties under drought stress · 2020
- positive
  PEG priming improved the weight of utilized seed reserve, seed reserve depletion percentage and total seedling dry weight under water stress.
cites 2 papers herecited by 1 paper here
Root Cortical Aerenchyma in Sorghum Increases its Root Elongation and Volume, Favoring Nutrient Uptake and Gas Exchange Compared to Maize Under Water Limitation · 2026
- positive
  Water limitation increased sorghum aerenchyma development.
- positive
  Water limitation increased sorghum root length and volume.
Resilience and Trade-Offs in a Novel Sorghum–Serradella Intercrop Under Simulated Dryland Stress Conditions · 2026
- positive
  Under severe water stress, sorghum maintained higher biomass and survival than serradella.
  compared with serradella

Papers reporting a negative result or no effect 59

A Simple Instrument for Measuring Leaf Extension in Grasses, and its Application in the Study of the Effects of Water Stress on Maize and Sorghum · 1979
- negative
  Water withholding for three days reduced sorghum leaf expansion, especially in light.
Water stress and phosphorus nutrition effects on growth, phosphorus uptake, and some physiological traits in sorghum and beans · 1991
- negative
  PEG-induced water stress and low P significantly decreased root length and root volume.
Growth and Drymatter Partitioning of Sorghum under Moisture Stress Condition · 1991
- negative
  Growth indices were lower after moisture stress in phenophase I.
Effects of phosphorus and water stress levels on growth and phosphorus uptake of bean and sorghum cultivars · 1995
- negative
  Water stress and low phosphorus reduced growth traits in sorghum.
Effect of Drought Stress on Photosynthetic Characteristics, Growth and Sugar Accumulation of Field-Grown Sweet Sorghum · 1996
- negative
  After anthesis, final internodes elongated more in controls.
  compared with controls
- no effect
  Before anthesis, drought did not affect growth.
cited by 1 paper here
The effect of water limitation in the field on seed quality of maize and sorghum · 1997
- no effect
  Water limitation had no effect on sorghum seed germination or vigour by the reported tests.
Rooting, Water Uptake, and Xylem Structure Adaptation to Drought of Two Sorghum Cultivars · 1999
- negative
  Stress reduced Gadambalia leaf area 3%.
- negative
  Stress reduced Tabat root length density 30%.
- negative
  Stress reduced Tabat leaf area 13%.
- no effect
  Stress did not affect Gadambalia RLD below 0.2 m, nodal roots or LMX vessels.
Does Maintaining Green Leaf Area in Sorghum Improve Yield under Drought? I. Leaf Growth and Senescence · 2000
- negative
  Terminal water deficit reduced green leaf area at maturity by 67% versus full irrigation.
  compared with fully irrigated control
SOIL TEXTURE CLASSES AND METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS AFFECTING PLANT AVAILABLE WATER TO SORGHUM AND SOYBEAN · 2002
- negative
  Terminal soil water deficit reduced leaf area index, height and node number most in clayey soil compared with irrigated plants.
  compared with irrigated plants
Water stress affects the germination, emergence, and growth of different sorghum cultivars · 2006
- negative
  Water deficit significantly reduced early seedling growth in sorghum.
- negative
  Water deficit significantly reduced emergence rate and percentage in sorghum.
- negative
  Water deficit significantly reduced germination rate and percentage in sorghum.
- negative
  Water deficit adversely affected seedling shoot and root lengths and root area in sorghum.
Effect of Water Deficit Stress on the Physiology, Growth and Leaf Cell Ultrastructure of Sorghum (Sorghum bicolorr (L.) Moench) · 2008
- no effect
  Jigurti growth parameters showed no significant reduction even at severe water deficit.
Seed germination and storage reserves of maize and sorghum after exposure to and recovery from pre- and post-flowering dehydration · 2010
- no effect
  Pre- and post-flowering dehydration did not affect germination of sorghum seeds.
- negative
  Post-flowering dehydration significantly decreased sorghum seed vigour after accelerated ageing.
Effect of water stress on photosynthetic characteristics of two sorghum cultivars · 2011
- negative
  Drought significantly reduced leaf area.
cited by 1 paper here
The root system hydraulic conductivity and water use efficiency of alfalfa and sorghum under water deficit · 2011
- negative
  Water deficit reduced sorghum root hydraulic conductivity and root vigor before stomatal conductivity declined.
EFFECT OF PRESOWING SEEDS SOAKING IN GROWTH OF WATER –STRESSED SORGHUM · 2011
- negative
  Water stress at GS1 significantly decreased leaf area to 141 cm2 after two stresses.
- negative
  Water stress at GS1 significantly decreased leaf area to 148 cm2 after one stress.
- negative
  One water stress significantly decreased sorghum plant height to 163.75 cm.
- negative
  Two water stresses significantly decreased sorghum plant height to 159.12 cm.
iomass production and grain yield of three sorghum lines differing in drought resistance · 2012
- negative
  Flag leaf drought significantly reduced biomass of the three sorghum genotypes by 48%.
- negative
  The greatest biomass reduction under drought was 71% for UAT-30.
Comparative Effects of Salt and Water Stress on Seed Germination and Early Embryo Growth in Two Cultivars of Sweet Sorghum · 2012
- negative
  Water stress adversely affected shoot and root growth.
- negative
  Water stress below −0.6 MP a reduced germination by 8–30% relative to control.
  compared with control
Comparison of Drought Tolerance of Maize, Sweet Sorghum and Sorghum‐Sudangrass Hybrids · 2013
- negative
  Severe drought reduced sweet sorghum above-ground dry weight by 37%.
cites 1 paper herecited by 2 papers here
GROWTH ANALYSIS OF FORAGE SORGHUM (SORGHUM BICOLOR L) VARIETIES UNDER VARYING SALINITY AND IRRIGATION FREQUENCY · 2013
- negative
  Water stress and salinity decreased leaf area.
Changes of Sorghum growth in response to drought and allelopathy stresses · 2013
- negative
  Mild and severe drought reduced sorghum root and shoot growth relative to control.
  compared with control
Relationship between Some Growth Indexes and Tillering of Forage Sorghum under Irrigation Regimes and Polymer · 2015
- negative
  Water stress decreased leaf area index, leaf area duration and crop growth rate of forage sorghum.
cites 1 paper here
Evaluation of Plant Densities and Various Irrigation Regimes of Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) under Low Water Supply · 2016
- negative
  Severe drought progressively reduced sorghum growth traits compared with watered treatment.
  compared with watered treatment
Sorghum Seedling Drought Response: in Search of Tolerant Genotypes · 2017
- negative
  20% PEG reduced seedling dry weight and the length of roots protruding from paraffin wax in some sorghum genotypes.
  compared with 0
cited by 1 paper here
Plasticity of Sorghum Stem Biomass Accumulation in Response to Water Deficit: A Multiscale Analysis from Internode Tissue to Plant Level · 2017
- negative
  Water deficit shortened expanding sorghum internodes.
- negative
  Drought significantly reduced sorghum stem biomass accumulation by an average of 42% at the end of dry-down.
- no effect
  Water deficit did not change the diameter of expanding sorghum internodes.
- negative
  At final harvest, rewatered water-deficit sorghum had 18% lower stem dry weight than well-watered plants.
  compared with well-watered treatment
cited by 4 papers here
Genotypic Variation Among Sorghum Cultivars for Seed Vigor, Salt and Drought Stresses · 2017
- negative
  Germination was delayed in PEG solution.
Determination of Genotypic Variation among Sorghum Cultivars for Seed Vigor, Salt and Drought Stresse · 2017
- negative
  Increasing PEG inhibited sorghum germination and seedling growth.
Genotypic covariations of traits underlying sorghum stem biomass production and quality and their regulations by water availability: Insight from studies at organ and tissue levels · 2018
- negative
  Water deficit reduced the length of expanding internodes, without subsequent recovery.
  compared with well watered
cites 2 papers herecited by 1 paper here
Analyzing and modelling biomass accumulation in sorghum stem and its drought regulation at tissue and organ level – genotypic variability and implications for ideotype conception · 2018
- no effect
  Water deficit left stem diameter of sorghum unaffected.
  compared with irrigatedNo difference from an alternative treatment
Drought Stresses on Seed Germination and Early Growth of Maize and Sorghum · 2019
- no effect
  Sorghum germination was not reduced at water stress up to -0.2 MPa.
cited by 4 papers here
Changes in photosynthetic and chlorophyll fluorescence characteristics of sorghum under drought and waterlogging stress · 2019
- negative
  Drought and waterlogging limited sorghum growth.
Drought stress and Acacia seyal biochar effects on sorghum gas exchange and yield: A greenhouse experiment · 2019
- no effect
  Drought had no significant effect on sorghum stomatal size and density.
cites 1 paper here
Effect of polyethylene glycol induced water stress on germination and seedling development of rabi sorghum genotypes · 2019
- negative
  Increasing osmotic stress significantly decreased germination percentage in all sorghum genotypes.
cited by 3 papers here
The potential of Sorghum landraces to overcome P and water limitation · 2020
- negative
  Water stress reduced biomass in all sorghum lines.
Growth of Millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.] and Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) Plants under Water Stress Conditions · 2020
- negative
  Greater water stress reduced sorghum size.
Evaluation of fodder yield and fodder quality in sorghum and its interaction with grain yield under different water availability regimes · 2020
- negative
  Drought reduced plant height by 0.98 cm relative to control.
  compared with control
cites 3 papers herecited by 1 paper here
Genetic Divergence in Sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] Genotypes under Contrasting Moisture Environments · 2021
- negative
  Post-flowering drought reduced all measured sorghum traits except flag leaf area.
Adaptation Responses to Early Drought Stress of West Africa Sorghum Varieties · 2021
- negative
  Early drought decreased sorghum leaf appearance, biomass and height.
cites 1 paper herecited by 4 papers here
Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi induced different proline accumulations in two sorghum accessions in a response to drought stress · 2022
- negative
  Drought reduced height increment in 4183A by 37%.
  compared with normal conditions
- negative
  Drought reduced height increment in JP-1 by 55%.
  compared with normal conditions
- negative
  Root dry weight loss under drought reached 66%.
  compared with well-watered conditions
- negative
  Shoot dry weight loss under drought reached 59%.
  compared with well-watered conditions
cites 1 paper here
Linear Mixed Model for Genotype Selection of Sorghum Yield · 2023
- negative
  Drought restricted sorghum growth and influenced production because of water shortage.
Water uptake, anatomical, and biochemical changes of sorghum genotypes subjected to polyethylene glycol-induced drought stress · 2023
- negative
  Drought negatively affected peripheral and central metaxylem diameters.
cites 1 paper here
Constitutive basis of root system architecture: uncovering a promising trait for breeding nutrient- and drought-resilient crops · 2023
- negative
  Drought stress inhibited root and shoot growth in both sorghum cultivars.
Agronomic and Physiological Traits Response of Three Tropical Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) Cultivars to Drought and Salinity · 2023
- negative
  Numbu canopy conductance declined by 36% and 25% under drought plus salinity.
- negative
  Kuali canopy conductance declined by 36% and 53% under drought plus salinity.
  compared with Numbu
- negative
  Samurai2 canopy conductance declined by 33% and 49% under drought plus salinity.
cites 1 paper here
Alleviation The Deleterious Impact of Water Stress on Sorghum Bicolor (L.) Plants Using Biostimulant Humic Acid · 2023
- negative
  Water deficit at 75% FC and 50% FC decreased vegetative growth parameters of sorghum.
cites 1 paper here
Effects of saline and water stress on sweet sorghum · 2024
- negative
  Salt and water stress negatively affected growth of sweet sorghum 'BRS 506'.
Effect of Drought Stress on Morpho Phenological and Yield Parameters in Sorghum Genotypes · 2024
- negative
  Water stress lowered sorghum height from 190.41 cm irrigated to 176.50 cm rainfed at 90 days.
  compared with irrigated conditions
Mitigation of drought stress in maize and sorghum by humic acid: differential growth and physiological responses · 2024
- negative
  Drought reduced sorghum biomass accumulation by 21.2% at the low drought level.
- negative
  Drought reduced sorghum biomass accumulation by 32.3% at the high drought level.
cited by 2 papers here
Potassium silica nanostructure improved growth and nutrient uptake of sorghum plants subjected to drought stress · 2024
- negative
  Increasing drought reduced sorghum growth, seed weight and nutrient uptake, most strongly under severe stress.
Assessment of Drought Tolerance in Rabi Sorghum Genotypes under Polyethylene Glycol-induced Osmotic Stress · 2024
- negative
  Shoot and root lengths of sorghum seedlings decreased with increasing PEG concentration.
cites 2 papers here
EVALUATING SORGHUM GENOTYPES FOR TOLERANCE TO OSMOTIC STRESS DURING GERMINATION AND EARLY SEEDLING DEVELOPMENT · 2024
- negative
  Higher osmotic stress adversely affected sorghum seedling length, dry weight and vigor indices.
- negative
  Mean germination fell from 79.00% at 0% PEG to 60.09% at 1% PEG.
  compared with 0% PEG
Effect of Drought Stress on Morphology and Chlorophyll Content of Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) · 2024
- negative
  Severe drought disrupted plant growth.
Effect of Drought Stress on Morphology and Chlorophyll Content of Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) · 2025
- negative
  Severe drought stress from 6 and 9 days of withholding water disrupted sorghum plant growth.
  compared with no drought stress as a day 0 (control)
cites 1 paper here
Saline irrigation improves survival of forage sorghum but limits growth and increases toxicity · 2025
- negative
  Drought reduced growth compared with 50 mM NaCl irrigation.
  compared with 50 mM NaCl treatment
Seedling growth responses of fodder sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] genotypes under drought stress · 2025
- negative
  PEG 10% significantly decreased germination percentage in fodder sorghum relative to distilled water.
  compared with distilled water
cites 4 papers here
Morphological responses of sorghum seedlings to drought, heat, and combined stresses · 2025
- negative
  drought stress reduced early daily root growth by 63.3%.
- negative
  drought stress reduced early hypocotyl growth by 70.8%.
- negative
  Drought reduced late daily root growth by 10.8%.
- negative
  Drought had the greatest late-stage negative effect on root length.
- negative
  Drought suppressed early daily root growth.
cites 2 papers here
Differential Physiological Responses of Zea mays and Sorghum bicolor to Drought Stress: Insights into the Ameliorative Role of Humic Acid at the Reproductive and Yield Stages · 2025
- negative
  Under severe drought, sorghum stem dry mass was reduced by 47.4%.
cites 1 paper here
Effect of biological treatments and water deficit on Macrophomina phaseolina infection in sorghum · 2025
- negative
  Water deficit reduced sorghum growth.
Drought Recovery Responses in Grain Sorghum: Insights into Genotypic Variation and Adaptation · 2025
- negative
  Drought stress decreased sorghum dry weight by 39% relative to well-watered plants.
  compared with well-watered
cites 2 papers here
Comprehensive Assessment of Local and Exotic Sorghum Genotypes for Forage Production and Quality Under Drought Conditions · 2025
- negative
  Drought reduced shoot length and shoot fresh and dry weights.
cites 1 paper here
Comparative Investigation into Metabolic Pathways and Corresponding Gene Expression Profiles of Sorghum Under Drought Stress · 2026
- negative
  Drought significantly reduced height in the sensitive line.

A paper is on the positive side when any of its claims here is positive. Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. Claims that compare genotypes are left out; a claim about lacking a nutrient counts the other way round in that nutrient’s question. “Results differ” marks a question where two model reviewers, reading both claims, accepted at least one pair of papers whose results differ.

drought · Growth · Sorghum

Papers whose results differ, checked claim by claim 10

How these papers cite each other

Papers reporting a positive result 14

Papers reporting a negative result or no effect 59

drought on Sorghum against other targets

drought · growth on other organisms