A research on the performances of some annual warm-season forage grass species under Cukurova conditions

In this research, performances of some annual warm season grass species such as finger millet, proso millet, foxtail millet and pearl millet under Cukurova conditions were searched. Eleven genotypes of each species were tested. The results of the study showed that days to 50 % flowering, plant height, number of tillers per plant, number of leaves on the main stem, green herbage yield, dried herbage yield, leaf ratio, ratios of crude protein, ADF, NDF, P, Ca, Mg and K of the finger millet genotypes changed from 95 to116 days, from 79 to 157.2 cm, from 19.6 to 44.4 tillers per plant, from 15.8 to 30.2 leaves, from 1372.8 to 3786.4 gr, from 340.9 to 881.5 gr, from 31.8 to 58.6 %, from 10.5 to 14.3 %, from 33.9 to 43.7 %, from 71.6 to 85.0 %, from 0. 351 to 0.402 %, from 0.437 to 0.762 %, from 0.263 to 0.390 % and from 3.653 to 4.456 %, respectively. The mentioned characteristics for the genotypes of proso millet varied from 35 to 60 days, from 72.2 to 42.8 cm, from 5.4 to 42.2 tillers, from 7.2 to 16 leaves, from 136 to 790.2 gr, from 28.6 to 165.9 gr, from 19.7 to 51.9 %, from 16.3 to 20.5 %, from 28.7 to 36.3 %, from 60 to 70.6 %, from 0.373 to 0.434 %, from 0.58 to 0.824 %, from 0.270 to 0.393 % and 3.174 to 3.964 %, respectively. The same properties for the genotypes of foxtail millet varied from 47 to 105 days, from 92.8 to 176 cm, from 7.6 to 40.4 tillers, from 10 to 20.6 leaves, from 279.8 to 662.2 gr, from 84.6 to164.4 gr, from 12.7 to 41.5 %, from10.5 to 14.3 %, from 38.8 to 49.8 %, from 74.9 to 85.6 %, from 0.363 to 0.434 %, from 0.109 to 0.407 %, from % 0.067 to 0.256 % and from 4.144 to 4.664 %, respectively. The mentioned characteristics for the genotypes of pearl millet were determined as 174-449 cm, 5.4-15.2 tillers, 8.4-22.2 leaves, 562-7808 gr, 498.8- 2869.9 gr, 12-43.7 %, 4.3-14.4 %, 42.6-51.5 %, 78.3-87.5 %, 0.27-0.434 %, 0.281-0.562 %, 0.201-0. 343 % and 1.901-4.233 %, respectively.