Sorghum, a better alternative to maize on making dairy cattle silage

Years ago, sorghum was one of the most important food crops in Africa, but over the years, farmers have abandoned it in favour of maize.

However, what farmers do not know is that sorghum has many advantages over maize and other pasture grasses.

To begin with, it can grow well in both high and low potential areas where maize cannot do well. As a fodder crop, it can be used in place of maize for making silage and grain and even as a fresh chopped forage for various animals, including cows, goats, sheep, pigs and chickens. As animal feed, it has the same energy level as maize or any other cereal.

Due to its higher sugar content, sorghum can do better than maize when it comes to silage making because farmers do not need to add molasses as they do when making silage.

Sorghum can withstand dry conditions (600mm annual rainfall) and remain green at very low moisture level, thus, providing farmers with adequate feeds when maize and other feed sources fail.

Sorghum can still do well in very poor soils where maize, napier and other cereals cannot grow. Most varieties of sorghum produce much more forage than maize.

Another big advantage is that the lower leaves of sorghum do not dry as the plant matures, they remain green and, therefore, retain a higher crude protein content than maize. Unlike maize, sorghum can grow again after harvesting the grain or has regrowth (the second crop that grows from regeneration is called a ratoon). This way, the farmers can reduce the cost of replanting, land preparation, seeds and time.

Good Sorghum crop

For a good sorghum crop, a farmer should follow the following guidelines:

=> Land preparation: For both forage and food varieties of sorghum, start preparing the land at the end of the rains (August is a suitable time). Sorghum does well in fine soils. It can also be grown where the soils are not disturbed much (or under conservation tillage practices).

=> Seed rate and spacing: Farmers should plant sorghum at a seed rate of 2.4-3.2kg per acre. Fodder varieties should be planted at a spacing of 75 by 10cm. Varieties meant for feed and grain (dual-purpose sorghum) requires a spacing of 60 by 20cm, which allows for a higher grain-fodder ratio.

=> Sowing: Sorghum should be sown at the onset of the rains. Drill seeds along the furrows (trenches) and plant them 3cm deep when dry planting to avoid germination during false rains but 2cm deep if the ground is wet.

=> Manure application: Well-composted manure or fertiliser should be applied during land preparation and worked into the soil. Foliar feeds can be added when the plant is knee-high.

=> Thinning: The crop should be thinned when it is 30cm high or 30 days after planting, whichever comes first, to ensure a spacing of 10cm between rows for fodder sorghum and 20cm between rows for dual-purpose varieties.

Others include: Weeding, Pests & diseases control and harvesting.

Article Credit: Logela Martine
Bsc. Animal Science & Technology || Climate Advocate