Record grain yields have reached 20 t.ha-1 for sorghum in the USA (US Grains Council, 2008). In West Africa the published maximum yields for sorghum remain much below these levels: 4 t.ha-1 have been regularly reported on research stations and 6 to 7 t.ha-1 were measured with early-maturing caudatum/kafir varieties. Studies in Mali on biomass accumulation and yield of photoperiod-sensitive varieties gave data used to model the yield potential of such crops in West Africa, which are reported in this paper.