CLIMATE SMART GRAIN SORGHUM VARIETIES: IMPORTANT AGRONOMIC TRAITS TO LOOK OUT FOR

Climate change is an on-going phenomenon. The climatic patterns have shifted in Lesotho from earlier well-known short summer season charac-terised by erratic rains and some drought spells during the growing sea-son, to unusual floods, low temperatures and limited sunlight. The onset of the planting season is now delayed by either no rainfall or flooding con-ditions that interfere with both sowing of the grain crops and also proper growth and development of those that are already planted. Moreover the heavy rains that unpredictably dominate the summer season associated with cloudy conditions with low temperatures have brought a new chal-lenge of sunlight availability and heat units for optimum photosynthetic ability of the crops.