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In vivo Performance of Bloom and Bloomless Sorghum Forage 1
Author(s) -
Cummins D. G.,
Sudweeks E. M.
Publication year - 1976
Publication title -
agronomy journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.752
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1435-0645
pISSN - 0002-1962
DOI - 10.2134/agronj1976.00021962006800050012x
Subject(s) - sorghum , forage , silage , agronomy , bloom , biology , dry matter , fodder , sweet sorghum , ecology
In vitro digestibilities of green leaf segments of bloomless sorghum [ Sorghum bicolor , (L.) Moench] are higher than those from bloom (white, powdery‐appearing wax on leaf and stem surfaces) sorghum, but it is not known if these differences will affect performance of animals fed bloom and bloomless sorghum forages. The objective of this study was to determine through in vivo trials if the bloomless characteristic of sorghum forage affected digestibility and animal performance. Two near isogenic lines of ‘Redbine 60’ sorghum differing primarily in the bloom and bloomless characterstic were grown under uniform conditions for 3 years at Experiment, Ga. At the dough stage of grain maturity, forage was harvested and ensiled in 1973 and 1974 and stored briefly at —13 C in 1975. Rumen volatile fatty acid production in steers fed silage was higher from the bloomless sorghum than the bloom sorghum, which indicates greater digestion of the bloomless sorghum. Steers fed bloom and bloomless sorghum silage did not differ in average daily gains at the end of a 6‐week period, but the latter gains were significantly higher at the end of the second week. Green forage digestibility by sheep was higher on the bloomless compared to the bloom type for dry matter, crude protein, crude fat, and crude fiber. These studies suggest that quality of sorghum forage may be improved by developing hybrids with the bloomless characteristic.