Abstract
As water levels in the Ogallala Aquifer continue to decline in the Texas High Plains, alternative forage crops that utilize less water must be identified to meet the forage demand of the livestock industry in this region. A two-year (2016 and 2017) study was conducted at West Texas A&M University Nance Ranch near Canyon, TX to evaluate the forage production and quality of brown midrib (BMR) sorghum-sudangrass (SS) (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench ssp. Drummondii) and BMR pearl millet (PM) (Pennisetum glaucum (L.) Leeke)) harvested under three regimes (three 30-d, two 45-d, and one 90-d harvests). Sorghum-sudangrass consistently out yielded PM in total DM production in both tested years (yield range 3.96 to 6.28 Mg DM ha−1 vs. 5.38 to 11.19 Mg DM ha−1 in 2016 and 6.00 to 9.87 Mg DM ha−1 vs. 6.53 to 15.51 Mg DM ha−1 in 2017). Water use efficiency was higher in PM compared to SS. The 90-d harvesting regime maximized the water use efficiency and DM production compared to other regimes in both crops; however, some forage quality may be sacrificed. In general, the higher forage quality was achieved in shorter interval harvesting regimes (frequent cuttings). The selection of suitable forage crop and harvesting regime based on this research can be extremely beneficial to the producers of Texas High Plains to meet their individual forage needs and demand.
Highlights
The 90-d harvesting regime maximized the water use efficiency and dry matter (DM) production compared to other regimes in both crops; some forage quality may be sacrificed
The selection of suitable forage crop and harvesting regime based on this research can be extremely beneficial to the producers of Texas High Plains to meet their individual forage needs and demand
Alternative forage crops that utilize less water must be identified to meet the demands of the livestock industry in the Texas High Plains as water levels in the Ogallala Aquifer continue to decline [1,2,3]
Summary
Alternative forage crops that utilize less water must be identified to meet the demands of the livestock industry in the Texas High Plains as water levels in the Ogallala Aquifer continue to decline [1,2,3]. Forage sorghums, including BMR SS, are widely utilized in the High Plains region because of their relative drought and heat tolerance [4,5]. These forage types have potential to produce large amounts of nutritious forage during summer months while the versatility of the crop allows for incorporation into many different types of cropping or livestock operations [6]. PM contains no prussic acid [11,12] Both species have varieties that contain the BMR trait; they have reduced lignin to increase forage quality and give producers more flexibility in harvest scheduling [13]
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