Performance of Forage Sorghum‐Legume Mixtures in Southern High Plains, USA

Abstract

Forage sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] and sorghum & sudangrass (S. bicolor var Sudanese) hybrids may produce as much dry matter yield as corn (Zea mays L.) for silage but with less water. Planting sorghum forage with annual legumes could increase digestibility and crude protein (CP) concentration, making the mixture more suitable for dairy cow rations. The objective of this study was to assess dry matter (DM) yield and nutritive value of brown midrib (BMR) sorghum forage grown as a monoculture or in combination with selected annual legumes. BMR100 (a forage sorghum) and PS210BMR (a photoperiod sensitive sorghum & sudangrass) were planted with four annual legumes: cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.], lablab (Lablab purpureus L.), soybean (Glycine max L.), and tepary bean (Phaseolus acutifolius A. Gray). Lablab was most complementary with sorghum for forage. The lablab-sorghum mixtures contained more CP with no consistent effect on neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and acid detergent fiber (ADF) compared to monoculture sorghums. This finding opens another possibility to produce good quality forage that could be used as an alternative forage crop to corn in the Southern High Plains.