Assessment of Photoperiod Sensitivity and the Effect of Sowing Date on Dry-Season Sorghum Cultivars in Southern Chad

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Dear Authors,

the subject of your study is very interesting and important for your region.

Please, find the suggestions and questions below. I hope they will help to improve your paper.

1. The abstract should be rewritten. There are repetitions and no clear conclusions.

2. You use the term "potential yield." It should be clearly stated if it is calculated per hectare and at what seed moisture content.

3. The conclusions are a repetition of the results, with no clear recommendations, no specific guidance. 

4. The literature is cited inconsistently with editorial requirements, and the list of publications is also incorrect.

5. Whole manuscript should be checked and edited according editorial requirements (font, styles, headers, table footers, etc.).

6. A lot of the cited items (about 18) are from before 2000, and their validity is questionable. 

Author Response

First, I would like to thank reviewer # 1 for the in-depth review. Your suggestions have greatly improved the manuscript.

 

1. Abstract has been rewritten.
2. Potential yield was calculated in ton/ha on a 14% moisture content.
3. Conclusion has been rewritten.
4. Citations have been rearranged to meet editorial requirements.
5. Whole manuscript was reedited. This made it more readable. Authors appreciate your suggestion here.
6. Most of the literatures are old because research on sorghum in general and dry-season sorghum in particular from these regions of West and Central Africa are limited. Recent findings reflecting similar or comparable research or outcomes from these zones are rare. This is the reason why authors seem to be the only group pursuing research on dry season sorghum. 

Once more, thank you for your time. Your suggestions greatly improved the manuscript. 

Reviewer 2 Report

Well, I think the manuscript can be accepted in present form.  It would be better If the tables and figures were refined.

Author Response

Thank you for your scientific inputs.

Your suggestions improved the manuscript.

Reviewer 3 Report

The manuscript titled ,,Assessment of photoperiod sensitivity and the effect of sowing date on dry-season sorghum cultivars in Southern Chad’’ is written clearly and concisely. It has high scientific value and the conclusions reached by the authors are satisfying. However, I have some comments that should be taken into account by the Authors when revising this manuscript.

1.    The Abstract is quite comprehensive and only minor mistakes should be corrected. 

,,All dry-season sorghum cultivars assessed were photoperiodic, and the sowing date affected the photoperiod sensitivity index. The flowering window of all dry-season sorghum cultivars assessed was not affected by sowing dates.’’  - Correct and rewrite these sentences to avoid repetition.

2.    SI Units (International System of Units) should be used in the manuscript and the supplement.

3.    Materials and Methods: ,,Each accession was seeded into a 4.0 m2 plot, and management practices against pests were implemented. ‘’ - It is not known what pesticides were used against diseases and pests. When were they applied? What active ingredients were used and in what doses?

4.    Results: Chapter 3.1 Temperature and daylength conditions - This section describes weather conditions. In my opinion, it should be placed in the Materials and Methods chapter, right after the rainfall characteristics in the study years.

5.    References must be verified. Try to reduce out-of-date literature reports. The Authors did not use the correct way of citations in the manuscript. Further, References at the end of the manuscript are not formatted according to the guidelines.

6.    Conclusions - clearly indicate what your research brings to the current state of knowledge.

7.    Figure 4. This type of Figure (linear) does not fit here. These data do not create any continuity.

 

8.    Supplementary: Each table must be self-explanatory. Explain precisely what all abbreviations mean.

Author Response

Authors want to thank reviewer # 3 for the great insights provided to improve the manuscript.

 

1. Sentence rewritten to avoid repetition.
2. SI units used where necessary.
3. Standard management practices for sorghum cultivation in this region was implemented. No pesticide was used. 
4. Thank you for the suggestion. it is befitting to have this section in M&M.
5. References verified and cited based on editorial requirement. Some of the citations are old because recent related research from this region on sorghum in general and dry-season sorghum in particular are rare. Most research conducted in this area are not well documented, reason why authors' current research on dry-season sorghum is vital for the understanding of the crop production in these specific zones and regions in west and central Africa. 
6. Conclusion rewritten.
7. Figure 4 has been changed to reflect variability in assessed trait. Thank you for the suggestion. Makes sense.
8. Abbreviations explained.

Once more, thank you for improving the manuscript.

1.