This study was carried out to estimate the sorghum yield loss for 36 different sowing dates for four regions of the State of São Paulo, Brazil: Manduri, Piracicaba, Ribeirão Preto and Ilha Solteira. The Doorenbos and Kassam/FAO method was applied to estimate the potential and actual yield. It was necessary to use a temperature dependent factor to correct incoherent estimates provide by Doorenbos and Kassam method. Historical series of meteorological data ranging from 10 to 40 years were used to identify the periods of the year with low risks to sorghum crop, besides the probabilities of losses to each sowing date. In Manduri, Piracicaba, Ilha Solteira and Ribeirão Preto, the loss risk is minimized when sowing is made between 15 October and 15 November, with losses lower than 5%. For all regions, yeld losses below 5% observed in more than 30% of the years.
Sorghum bicolor; water balance; sowing date; climatic risk
