Sudanese grass (or Sudanese sorghum, Sudanese) is a high-yielding crop. It grows under ideal conditions up to three meters, forming up to 120 stems from one root. With proper agricultural technology, cultivation yields record yields among annual fodder grasses. In the form of silage, hay, freshly cut green mass it is used for cattle feeding.
Sudan grass: biological features
Sorghum sudanense belongs to the genus Sorghum. The fibrous powerful root system can grow 2.5 m deep and 75 cm wide. The unladen cylindrical stem is filled with a white spongy parenchyma. Not all varieties are high. There are also compact plants less than a meter high with small (up to 12 shoots) and medium (12-25) bushiness. Varieties also differ in the shape of the bush:
- Upright.
- Recumbent.
- Reclining.
- Spreading.
- Slightly spreading.
It is more convenient to mow slightly spreading erect bushes, therefore Sudanese sorghum with such characteristics is most common. A very tall Sudanese grass grows in the tropics, a photo of which is amazing. More compact cultivars are often cultivated in Russia: grass Mironovskaya 8, 12, Kinelskaya 100, Aida, Hercules 3, Chernomorka, Volgogradskaya 77, Azimut, Brodskaya 2, Novator 151, Severyanka, Novosibirsk 84, Kamyshinskaya 51, Zonalskaya 6 and others.
Nutritional properties
Sudanese grass in the form of hay and greenery is a good nutritious food. In the green mass of protein - 3%, protein - 4.4%, sugars - 7.9-9.1%. It is advantageous to mix Sudanese with legumes, in particular alfalfa. Such mixtures are more saturated with calcium, proteins, extractive nitrogen-free substances. The abundance of dense green mass, resistance to grazing and the ability to grow quickly (4-5 times per season) make Sudanese one of the best pasture grasses.
The nutritional qualities of hay depend on the time of mowing. If it is harvested in the sweeping phase, a lot of crude protein will remain in the product - 14-16%. Even more protein (14.2-18.9%) will remain if you mow the Sudanese in the bumping phase. It is recommended to harvest silage when grain is being poured. By the way, silage is comparable in nutrition to corn.
Sudan grass cultivation technology
For crops on seeds, optimal precursors are vegetables, spike crops (especially winter crops). Mandatory pre-treatment from weeds. Studies of Siberian Research Institute have shown: in a forest-steppe, a decent seed yield is obtained after steam, a layer of perennials, corn.
It is important to properly process the soil, given its type and zoning. It is most productive to carry out the main processing in the fall. This will help to nourish the earth with the moisture of prolonged autumn rains and snow. In Western Siberia (forest-steppe zone), a field is deeply plowed in the autumn (by 25 cm), and in the spring, in order to retain moisture, they pass in two tracks by tooth harrows. Alignment, rolling down of fields by planners before and after sowing provides friendly seedlings.
With the exception of wetlands, Sudanese grass is not demanding on soils. Biological features provide a good harvest, even on brackish lands. The best predecessors are peas, dumplings, vetch, alfalfa, cabbage, potatoes. It is also beneficial to grow legumes in conjunction with Sudanese sorghum.
The faster the first and second cuts are carried out, the greater the green mass will increase in the next 2-3 cuts. It is recommended to clean hay with mower conditioners. Flattened stems dry out faster and better, natural drying is accelerated.
Seed preparation
Sudan grass seeds are responsive to seedbed preparation. Etching alternate with air-thermal heating, micronutrient treatment. Seeds receive a biological impulse, sprout together, are saturated with microelements with a minimum consumption of fertilizers.
One of the ways to activate biochemical and physiological processes is to spray before planting with special solutions containing boron (can be replaced with zinc) and manganese. 15-18 g of ordinary potassium permanganate and 6-9 g of boron or zinc salts are dissolved in 2 l of water. This volume is enough to process 1 centner of seeds. For uniform distribution, the seeds are thoroughly mixed repeatedly. Before sowing, they must be dried.
A more modern method of pre-sowing preparation is vernalization. 20 liters of water are poured into the container, a quintal of seeds is poured. Wait until the seeds completely absorb water. Then they are pulled out and formed into small shoulders, keeping in this state for 8 days in the dark at 20-30 ˚C. To prevent rot, the mass is regularly ted, shovel. It is necessary to monitor the rate of germination. If the seeds hatch too quickly, the shoulders are raked. Spring vernalization is especially effective for seed crops.
Seeding rates
Sudanese grass is sown only in warm soil (+ 10 ˚C). The seeding rate varies depending on the technique of sowing. With the continuous ordinary method - within 25-30 kg per 1 ha. With the wide-row method in arid regions, the norm is half as much - 10-15 kg. With enough moisture, the seeds are planted mechanically to a depth of 3-5 cm. On dried, light soils, the seeds are sown deeper - 6-8 cm. If Sudanese grass is sown in a mixture with other crops, the seeding rate is reduced by 15-25%.
Presowing soil preparation
Presowing preparation is laborious. If you skip one of the stages, the sprouting friendliness, bushiness, and productivity will decrease. The order of operations is as follows:
- Peeling.
- Deep autumnal plowing.
- Early spring harrowing.
- Double presowing cultivation.
- Pre-sowing soil rolling.
- Post-sowing soil rolling.
Fertilizers applied on time increase productivity. Recommended norms per 1 ha: 20-30 kg of potash, 30-45 kg of phosphate, 30-45 kg of nitrogen fertilizer.
Beneficial features
In addition to an abundant harvest of fodder green mass, Sudan grass has a beneficial effect on the soil, suppresses weeds. Thanks to the fibrous powerful roots, the culture increases the moisture capacity and breathability of soils, loosens them, makes them lighter, structures, drains with an excess of moisture. Soil loosened by grass more efficiently passes air, beneficial soil microorganisms and worms reproduce better, accelerating the processing of humus. Plants themselves are less sick, productivity increases.
The ability of Sudanese to grow on saline soils makes it possible to include in the crop rotation unsuitable for other crops salt marshes. In places where erosion is progressing, it is also useful to sow this grass with powerful thick roots that keep the soil particles from weathering, leaching.
But there are nuances. Like corn, Sudanese draws many trace elements from the soil, impoverishing it. The problem is solved by joint plantings with bean annuals. High-quality fertilizing with fertilizers also restores the microbiological balance.