Determination of biomass yield and silage quality characteristics of different sweet sorghum varieties under diyarbakir condition

The research was carried out to determine the biomass yield and silage quality characteristics of five different sweet sorghum (Sorghum bicolor var. saccharatum (L.) Mohlenbr.) varieties under Diyarbakır conditions. The research was conducted in June-2020 in the Research Area of the Faculty of Agriculture of Dicle University (Diyarbakır) in 4 replications according to the randomized blocks trial pattern. The silaged plant material was harvested during the milk-dough maturation period of the grains in the panicle of the plant. In addition to determining the biomass yields in the harvest, some important silage quality characteristics were determined by making silage with whole plant material. In the study, it was determined that the stem thickness was 19.20-21.43 mm, the plant height was 326.1-373.7 cm, the biomass yield was 8785.7- 11635.7 kg da-1, and the dry matter (DM) yield varied between 2698.6-3496.5 kg kg da-1, although it varies according to the cultivars. In addition, depending on the varieties, important silage quality characteristics include 2.06-2.91% crude protein (CP), acid detergent fiber (ADF) 29.96-39.05%, neutral detergent fiber (NDF) 47.23-59.33%, digestible dry matter (DDM) ratio 58.74-65.76%, dry matter intake (DMI) 2.05-2.54% and the relative feed value (RFV) were found to vary between 94.1-129.6. Therefore it was infered that No91, M81E and Topper-76 varieties took the first place in terms of DM yield and Roma and Ramada varieties in terms of silage quality characteristics. It is seen that sweet sorghum yields more than 3300 kg per decare under Diyarbakır second crop conditions and it is over relative feed value 120 in terms of feed quality and can be an alternative to maize for silage.