10 reasons to choose Sudan grass
Extreme deviations from normal weather patterns have made it necessary to look for alternative forage crops. One of these could be Sudan grass, which in recent years has successfully demonstrated that it can deliver high yield potential even under extreme conditions.
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1. Resilience to extreme weather conditions It tolerates both prolonged high temperatures and periods of drought well. |
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2. Drought tolerance Sudan grass makes excellent use of the available water. Only a fraction of the water required by maize is enough for Sudan grass to develop properly and build up biomass. |
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3. Wide sowing window As a main crop it can be sown from late April to early May, and as a second crop – even after wheat – as late as July. In the latter case, irrigation to ensure emergence may be necessary if conditions warrant it. Overall, its sowing window extends from April to August. |
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4. High yield A single cut can yield up to 18–20 t/ha of wilted forage. As a main crop it can be cut three times per season, which can mean as much as 35–40 t/ha of haylage from a given area.
5. Excellent weed suppression It can easily be integrated into organic production too, as it requires no herbicides, and it shows high resistance to pests and diseases.
6. Excellent feed value, favourable nutrient content At a plant height of 60 cm, our hybrids contain on average 20% crude protein on a dry matter basis, and their fibre digestibility (NDFd48) is above 70%. The digestible fibre content of our Sudan grass hybrids exceeds that of BMR silage sorghums. |
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7. Versatile uses
It has 3 main uses: grazing, haylage making and haymaking.
8. Excellent regrowth potential
The first cut can be expected around 40–60 days after sowing (depending on nutrient content and yield), followed by further cuts every 30 days.
9. Low production cost
Its production cost does not exceed HUF 8–10/kg.
10. No special machinery required
The machinery it requires is no different from that used for cereal and grass haylage.