About 6 to 10 days before flowering, the boot forms a bulge in the sheath of the flag leaf (uppermost leaf).

This stage is called boot leaf stage. Sorghum usually flowers 55 to 70 days.

         The stem of sorghum consists of many alternating nodes and internodes.

         It ranges from slender to very strong, 0.5 to 5 cm in diameter near the base.

Sorghum shoot system consists of stem, leaves, nodes, and internodes during the vegetative stage.

Leaves nodes develop @ of one in 3 to 6 days.

The plant remains in vegetative stage for 30 to 40 days during which all leaves (12 to 18) are formed.