Info Sheet: Sudan grass

Sudan Grass

PLANT FOR SILAGE, HAY, GRAZING, AND GREEN CHOP

Plant sudan grass for silage, hay, grazing, and green chop. Sudan grass is the highest yielding summer annual forage grown in California. It is used to produce true hybrids (sudangrass X sudangrass), Sorgum-Sudangrass hybrids (Forage sorghum X sudangrass) and as open pollinated varieties.

Varieties and Hybrids:

Piper- released from the University of Wisconsin in 1950's. Open pollinated variety that is used in dry land and irrigated plantings. Fine stems, and leaves.
Greenleaf- released in 1953. Open pollinated variety. Used in dry land and irrigated plantings. Fairly coarse, leafy, tillering and late maturity.
Sorghum Sudangrass Hybrids- many different hybrids available and vary in percentage of sudangrass in hybrid. High yielding, coarse stems, excellent for pasture, green chop, and silage.
Imperial hybrid sudangrass- higher yielding than Piper while keeping fine stems and leaves. A true hybrid sudangrass. Very heat tolerant.

Planting, Fertility, and Harvest:

Plant at 20-25 pounds for grazing, silage, green chop and hay. Japanese market requires 100-150 pounds per acre for hay. Plant 10-15 pounds per acre for dry land production. Can be planted broadcast, drilled and direct drilled.

Hay harvest- 40-49 inches tall for maximum TDN and protein levels.

Silage harvest - full heading (7-8 feet high_ and left to dry down overnight, before chopping and putting into silo.

Key - use cripper in cutting for better curing

Key - leave 4-6 inch stubble for maximum production

Fertility - relay on complete fertilizer program. Spoon feed nitrogen throughout growing season for maximum production.

Poisoning - more livestock has been poisoned on nitrates than from prussic acid in California. Nitrate poisoning is usually the result of over fertilizing with nitrogen or by moisture stress with high nitrogen leaves. Prussic acid comes on after a hard freeze in late fall, early winter. Sorghum-Sudan hybrids are not recommended for horses for grazing - some feel they can cause 'circling disease in horses'. For all these cautions we have very few problems and they are usually years apart.

For more information on sudangrass, please call Kellogg's Ag. Service.

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