Theme 2-1: Forage Production and Utilization--Oral Sessions
Description
Winter forage availability in Sudan is constrained by lack of a suitable annual winter forage crop. The main forage crop grown is Abu70 (Sorghum bicolor) which is a summer crop that yields 7.6-8.4 t/ha in summer but much less in winter. There is, therefore, need for a winter high yielding forage crop that exceeds Abu70 in productivity and quality. This study was aimed to evaluate four forage maize cultivars as potential winter crops in central Sudan in terms of productivity and quality. An experiment was conducted using four maize forage cultivars. The experiment lasted for two consecutive seasons 2010/11 and 2011/12 at Soba, Khartoum. A Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with four replicates was used. The cultivars tested were Damazin, North Sudan, Hytech 2031and Hytech 2055. Yield/ha, crude protein (%) and digestibility (%) of the cultivars were assessed. Crude protein and digestibility of Abu70 were also determined while yield was estimated as a mean value from the huge data available on this traditional crop from literature. It was found that cultivars Hytech 2031 and Hytech 2055 yileded 11.73 and 13. 71 t/ha dry matter respectively while Damazin and North Sudan yielded 7.09 and 7.76 t/ha respectively. These differences were significant.. Crude protein was also higher for the maize cultivars compared with Abu70 being 8.18, 7.9, 8.07, 8.22 and 5.78% for Damazin, North Sudan, Hytech 2031, Hytech 2055 and Abu70 respectively. Digestibility was 68.6, 70.2, 71.3, 71.3 and 64.9% for the five forage crops respectively. It was concluded that Hytech2055 cultivar might be suitable for maize forage production during the winter season in central Sudan.
Included in
Comparison of Four Maize Cultivars (Zea mays L.) as Winter Forage in Sudan
Winter forage availability in Sudan is constrained by lack of a suitable annual winter forage crop. The main forage crop grown is Abu70 (Sorghum bicolor) which is a summer crop that yields 7.6-8.4 t/ha in summer but much less in winter. There is, therefore, need for a winter high yielding forage crop that exceeds Abu70 in productivity and quality. This study was aimed to evaluate four forage maize cultivars as potential winter crops in central Sudan in terms of productivity and quality. An experiment was conducted using four maize forage cultivars. The experiment lasted for two consecutive seasons 2010/11 and 2011/12 at Soba, Khartoum. A Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with four replicates was used. The cultivars tested were Damazin, North Sudan, Hytech 2031and Hytech 2055. Yield/ha, crude protein (%) and digestibility (%) of the cultivars were assessed. Crude protein and digestibility of Abu70 were also determined while yield was estimated as a mean value from the huge data available on this traditional crop from literature. It was found that cultivars Hytech 2031 and Hytech 2055 yileded 11.73 and 13. 71 t/ha dry matter respectively while Damazin and North Sudan yielded 7.09 and 7.76 t/ha respectively. These differences were significant.. Crude protein was also higher for the maize cultivars compared with Abu70 being 8.18, 7.9, 8.07, 8.22 and 5.78% for Damazin, North Sudan, Hytech 2031, Hytech 2055 and Abu70 respectively. Digestibility was 68.6, 70.2, 71.3, 71.3 and 64.9% for the five forage crops respectively. It was concluded that Hytech2055 cultivar might be suitable for maize forage production during the winter season in central Sudan.
