Cultivation

Forage value of Sudan grass

Sorghum x drummondii (Steud.) Millsp. & Chase

Sudan grass is used to establish a green forage conveyor and to produce high-quality hay and silage due to its high regrowth rate and excellent nutritional characteristics.

In the reference 64 varieties crop Sudangrass, where this is mentioned in the description.

The crop possesses a high regeneration rate after mowing or grazing, providing up to 3–5 cuts per season by regrowing shoots from tillering nodes, stem nodes, and cut stems. In terms of digestible protein, sugars, and ash content, the green mass and hay of Sudan grass outperform most other cereal grasses, and it is characterized by high palatability for livestock.

Unlike sorghum-sudangrass hybrids, Sudan grass has thinner stems, which makes it preferable for producing high-quality hay. The crop is capable of accumulating cyanogenic glycosides; however, the risk of prussic acid poisoning is lower than in sorghum and hybrid forms, allowing for its effective use for both grazing and haymaking.

General information about the subject — on the page Forage purpose.

Sources8

Varieties of Sudangrass mentioned in the description

Selection based on the description text, not on official evaluation: these data are absent from registers. For specific variety details, please refer to its profile.