Imperial Hybrid Sudangrass

Imperial Hybrid Sudangrass is a true hybrid sudangrass (no sorghum parentage) for fine-stemmed hay, silage or grazing. It out yields Piper Sudangrass while matching Piper's high quality for hay.

Imperial Hybrid Sudangrass will out yield Piper Sudangrass from 5% to 20%. Imperial will meet the quality standards of the Japanese sudangrass hay market. We have had side by side comparisons without visual or in the bale differences in quality compared to Piper.

Imperial Hybrid Sudangrass will give you a better return on your seed dollar investment with it's increased yield over Piper Sudangrass.

Imperial Hybrid Sudangrass will take the summer high temperatures better than Piper.

Suggestions for Rasing Sudangrass:

Plant no deeper than 2 inches for the best stand. Seeding rates for grazing 25-30 pounds per acre. Seeding rates for Japanese hay market 110-120 pounds per acre. Dryland planting 10-15 pounds per acre. Soil temperature should be in the 70 degree range at planting time. Warming soil on dryland plantings. No-till planting works following grain, or into pastures or into alfalfa stands where it works for your forage use.

Harvesting for hay at 40-49 inches gives the best total digestible nutrients (TDN) and highest protien levels. Sudangrass for silage should be cut at full flowering and allowed to cure over night before chopping for silage pit (high water content can lower silage quality). Leave 4-6 inch stubble for best regrowth and yield. Crimping with your swather will help cure sudangrass for better and quicker hay.

Fertility that is balanced and based on soil test gives the best yields and lower risk of nitrate poisoning. Split apply nitrogen as needed after each harvest. Sudangrass can use up to 200 pounds of nitrogen per acre for the season. Nitrate poisoning is caused by imbalance in nitrogen and moisture stress on the sudangrass. This can happen following a winter cover crop or from applied nitrogen. Work with your fertilizer representative to manage your fertility program.

Varieties and Hybrids

• Piper Sudangrass: Released in 1950 as a variety with fine stems and leafy leaves. Excellent hay quality and good choice for dryland plantings.
• Imperial Hybrid Sudangrass: Result of 20 plus years of selecting and breeding sudangrass for yield, quality and heat tolerance. One parent is male sterile other parent acts as the male and only the female seed is harvested as hybrid sudangrass. The other parent sometimes is sold as variety not stated sudangrass seed. Hybridization results in higher forage yields. Imperial Hybrid sudangrass is selected for quality (as good as Piper) and yield (higher than Piper).
• Greenleaf variety: has some sorghum parentage and was released in 1953
• Sweet Sudangrass: sweet and juicy, tall and leafy!
• Sorghum: Sudan hybrids coarser than Piper. Many hybrids available.

Other hybrid sudangrass's available should be tested on their own merits. For more information, give Kellogg's Ag. Service a call @ 530/872-2624.

copyright 2002 Kellogg's Ag. Service