Annual Sudan is a grass that is grown in the arid steppe regions of agricultural enterprises for hay or silage, using green mass in animal husbandry. A visitor from exotic Sudan is a valuable forage crop.
Description of annual Sudanese
This plant is a species of sorghum. It grows throughout Russia, without reducing the high yield in the northern regions. The nutritional value of this herb is comparable to that of corn silage. It contains in dried form 10% protein, 9% sugars, 80 mg of carotene, as well as vitamins and antioxidants. This makes the plant one of the best food crops for fattening livestock.
Sudanese grows up to 3 m in height and gives up to 5 mows per season
Drought and shade tolerance are the main agronomic properties of this forage crop. Thanks to the powerful root system, reaching a diameter of 1-1,5 m, the grass can grow up to 3 m, keeping the stem in an upright position. Inland, the culture grows 2,5-3 m, so it tolerates the dry period well. One root grows 100-120 stems.
Recognizing the appearance of the culture:
- smooth lamellar sheet 60 cm in length;
- panicle inflorescence 40 cm;
- caryopses are collected in a spikelet and enclosed in dense scales.
The plant is thermophilic, does not tolerate frost at all, therefore, it is impossible to sow it before the stable warming up of air to 10 ° C. Despite the ability to easily survive drought, irrigation is desirable: it increases yields.
Chernozem and dark chestnut soils are ideal for abundant growth of Sudanese greenery. But even on sandy and slightly acidic lands, the grass grows well. Thanks to this feature, it is possible to include salt marshes in the crop rotation.
How does Sudanese grass grow?
To prepare the soil for planting a crop, in the fall, deep plowing by 8 cm is required, and in the spring – harrowing, which makes it possible to increase looseness, reduce moisture evaporation and destroy weeds. In the autumn plowing, you need to add potash or phosphorus fertilizers, in the spring – nitrogen.
Agricultural technicians use continuous sowing in rows, which is also typical for perennial grasses. Sudan can be sown up to 3 times during the summer season: in warm climates, after reaching the tillering stage, it grows very quickly. With forced irrigation, you can carry out up to 6-7 mows per year.
Growth stages of Sudanese grass.
- After pecking the seedlings, it grows slowly, forming 5 leaves only after 1,5 months.
- With the onset of tillering, it intensively gains growth, stretching up to 7-10 cm per day.
- From the moment of flowering, the growth of the stem stops.
- After mowing, shoots develop on the stem nodes due to the growth point, which allows several mows to be obtained.
Sudanese grass, which has a powerful root system, keeps the soil from washing out and weathering. However, at the same time, it takes too many nutrients from the soil, therefore, to replenish the balance of trace elements, it is planted along with annual legumes.
Sudanese grass is a thermophilic forage crop. Growth features allow to get an average of 3-4 cuttings per year, and the rich nutritional composition makes it suitable for silage.