Progress Report Series No. 86
Agricultural Experiment Station
AUBURN UNIVERSITY
PERFORMANCE of SORGH
VARIETIE%
C. S. HOVELAND, Associate Agronomist
E. M. EVANS, Associate Agronomist
R. M. PATTERSON, Associate Agronomist*
IN RECENT YEARS a large number of forage sor-
ghum varieties has been released. Many of these
varieties are leafier and produce much lmoe grain
than older varieties. In tests reported here, some
of the newer sorghum varieties were compared
with corn varieties commonly grown for silage.
Silage variety trials were conducted at five loca-
tions in Alabama during 1962. This report pre-
sents data from these trials and in addition data
from similar experiments in 1960-61. The entries
were planted in 3-row plots 20 feet long with four
replications. Row spacings varied with location
to accommodate available cultivating equipment.
The tests were planted in late April or early May
and fertilized at planting with 20 to 30 pounds
per acre of nitrogen and adequate rates of phos-
phorus and potassium. All tests were sidedressed
with 60 to 80 pounds of nitrogen per acre each
year. The sorghum varieties were harvested when
they reached the dough stage and corn when well
dented. The center row of each plot was harvested
and a sample of green forage was oven dried for
determination of dry forage yields.
The tests were conducted in cooperation with John Boseek,
Tennessee Valley Substation; J. W. Langford, Plant Breeding
Unit; E. L. Mayton, Piedmont Substation; L. A. Smith and H.
W. Grimes, Black Belt Substation; Lavern Brown, Lower
Coastal Plain Substation; and Harold Yates and J. E. Barrett,
Gulf Coast Substation.
E. V. Smith, Director
Auburn, Alabama
RESULTS
Reported in Tables 1-6 are maturity, height,
grain production, disease resistance, sugar content,
and forage yield of the varieties tested.
Climatic summary. The 1962 crop season was
one of deficient moisture throughout the growing
season. Yields in the tests reported herein were
severely reduced only at the Lower Coastal Plain
Substation where drought prevailed from May
through September.,
Maturity. The average time required from
planting to the proper maturity for harvest va-
ried from 80 days for the very early varieties to
140 days for the latest maturity entry, Table 1.
These data are 3-year averages of the Tennessee
Valley Substation, Plant Breeding Unit, Black Belt
Substation, and Gulf Coast Substation tests and
are presented as a guide for farm planning. Some
variation in maturity should be expected because
of location, time of planting, and rainfall distribu-
tion.
Varieties requiring an average of 81 to 95 days
from planting to harvest are classified as early;
those requiring 96 to 110 days are medium-early;
those requiring 111 to 125 days are medium-late;
and those requiring 126 to 140 days or more are
classified as late-maturing varieties. The early
and medium-early sorghum 
varieties produced a
June, 1963
RG~
AUG 
1j.
TABLE 1. SOME CHARACTERI
TESTED IN ALAB
Entry
Early Maturity (81-95 days)
Sorghum-Sudan Hybrids
Asgrow Grazer-
DeKalb SX-11-
Sudan Hybrid
Suhi-1-
Sorghum
DeKalb FS-1A.
Medium-Early Maturity (96-110
Corn
Pfister 488-- . . . ..
Auburn 602 .....
Dixie 18-
Sorghum
Lindsey 92F-
Lindsey 101F-
NK-300-------------
NK-320- - - - - - -
Frontier S-212-
DeKalb FS-22-
NK-315-----
NK-330- - - - -
Asgrow Silo King
Medium-Late Maturity (111-125)
Sorghum
Taylor-Evans Milkmaker
Taylor-Evans Yieldmaker ....
Asgrow Titan- -
Lindsey 115F
Asgrow Beefbuilder ........
Tracy
Brawley
Late Maturity (126-140 days)
Sart
1 Plant Breeding Unit, Tallass
second cutting in southei
Regrowth from the stubb
maturity than did the firs'
Height. Height of the
to 14 feet, Table 1. The
produced the most fora
l
ceptible to lodging, part
I
uucea heavy neaus.
Grain production. The proportion of forage
yield that was head or ear varied from 4 per
cent for Sart sorghum to, 49 per cent for Auburn
602 corn, Table 1. Eight of the forage sorghums
were more than 25 per cent head at harvest.
Sugar content. Sugar content of the juice of
sorghums was determined in the field with a hand
refractometer. The content of dissolved solids (an
indirect measure of sugar) in the plant juice va-
ried from 7 to 18 per cent, Table 1.
Disease resistance. The newer sorghum va-
rieties described in this report were developed in
the semi-arid region of the western United States
Oven-dry forage per acre
Entry 1962 2-year 8-year
Lodging Total av. 
av.
Pct. Tons Tons Tons
T-E Yieldmaker ................- 31 8.68 7.11 7.88
Asgrow Beefbuilder 9 8.84 7.23 8.81
Lindsey 115F 1 8.22 6.62 7.42
S art ------------------------------------- 0 8 .14 9 .4 2
DeKalib FS-22---------- 0 7.55 6.74
Asgrow Silo King------- 49 6.46 6.24 6.34
Lindsey 101F 91 6.46 5.90
NK-300 11 6.11 5.78 5.92
NK-820 98 5.91 5.80 --
Dixie 18 corn 0 5.73 6.26 ....
Pfister 488 corn 0 5.34 5.19
DeKalb FS-1A---------- 0 3.92 3.60 4.12
DeKalb SX-11 0 1.78 8.92 4.89
STICS OF SILAGE VARIETIES and may not have sufficient disease resistance in
AMA, 1960-62 humid areas. Many of these varieties were badly
Proportion of damaged by red rot (Colletotrichum gramini-
head or ear in Sugar
Height dry matter' 
content colum 
(Ces.) A. W. Wils). 
Red rot is a disease 
of
(brix) the interior of stalks and may cause lodging. The
1st 2nd 
of juice
harvest harvest Sart variety is highly resistant to red rot and Tracy
Feet Pct. Pet. Pct. has 
some resistance.
Yield. Yields are reported as oven dry matter
9 18 19 7 rather than green weight because stage of matu-
rity, time of harvest, and weather conditions af-
8 9 feet moisture content, Tables 2-6. Dry matter con-
tent of the forages at harvest generally varied from
6 48 17 8 25 to 
835 per cent. The approximate 
silage yield
per acre can be computed by multiplying the oven
8 38 ---- ---- dry weight by 3 or 4.
9 49
9 36 Corn yields varied from 3.70 to 7.37 tons of dry
10 28 
8 14 
forage per acre 
as compared 
with sorghum 
yields
7 29 18 12 
of 3.92 to 15.39 tons.
6 39 33 7 
At Belle Mina only one 
cutting of sorghum can
9 33 12 8
7 9 9 15 normally be expected, Table 2. In central and
10 11 2 15 
southern Alabama, the 
early maturing varieties
8 27 21 13
5 28 16 14 often make sufficient regrowth from the stubble
8 33 5 11 to 
mature before frost. Yields 
from the second
days) 
cutting sometimes exceed 
those from the first cut-
8 15 10 11 ting. If a second 
cutting is expected, planting
11 19 13 12 must be done early and the crop sidedressed with
9 8 10 16
11 14 8 15 nitrogen after the first cutting. 
Second cutting
12 9 16 15 yields given in the tables were harvested only
9 19 10 18 from varieties that 
headed before frost. Regrowth
from some varieties was vigorous.
14 4 15 Lodging. Lodging 
may be a problem with some
ee, Alabama. of the taller sorghum 
varieties, particularly when
rn and central Alabama. a high proportion 
of head is produced. Lodging is
le required less time for also associated with 
red rot. This disease often
t crop. develops 
on sorghums in humid areas. During
varieties varied from 6 
1962, two varieties, NK 820 and 
Silo King, lodged
taller varieties generally 
badly at 4 of the test locations, 
Tables 2, 3, 4, and
ge, but were more sus-
icularly when they pro- TABLE 2. YIELDS 
OF SILAGE VARIETIES AT TENNESSEE VALLEY
SUBSTATION, BELLE MINA, 1960-62
TABLE 3. YIELDS OF SILAGE V7ARIETIES AT PLANT BREEDING UNIT, TALLASSEE, 1960-62
Oven-dry forage yields per acre
1962Entry
Lindsey 115 F ----- ----- ----- ----- ----
Lindsey O I -F ---- ----- ----- ----- ----
T-E Milkmaker
DeKaib FS-22
Asgrow Beefbuilder--------- 
-----
T-E Yieldmaker
A sgrow -Titan --------- --------- --- 
-----
NK-320
A sgrow Grazer--- --- --- -- --- --- --- 
--
Asgrow Silo King----- ----- -. ..
NK-315
L indsey 92F ----------------------- 
-----
NK-330
T ra c y --------------
-------------------
Sart
NK-300
Frontier S-212
B ra w le y --------------
-----------------
DeKaib FS-1A
Dixie 18 corn
Auburn 602 corn
Pfister 488 corn
Lodging
Pct.
50
10
10
50
2
6
0
80
0
80
0
90
0
0
30
0
0
1
0
0
0
5
First
Tons
7.09
6.54
6.95
6.16
7.64
7.06
6.54
6.14
3.90
6.34
5.89
6.09
5.24
5.80
8.47
5.17
5.31
5.78
3.70
5.58
4.96
4.03
Second
Tons
5.29
5.40
4.71
4.84
3.20
3.49
3.97
4.18
3.88
3.68
3.85
3.07
3.87
2.90
0
2.98
2.30
1.82
2.80
0
0
0
Total
Tons
12.38
11.94
11.66
11.00
10.84
10.55
10.51
10.32
10.*271
10.02
9.74
9.16
9.11
8.70
8.47
8.5
7.61
7.60
6.50
5.80
4.96
4.03
-- --~ -----1 1- -----~- '--- ------ ---
2-year av.
Tons
11.26
10.34
10.82
9.36
9.84
9.42
7.49
8.94
9.03
7.50
7.68
7.71
8.36
6.82
6.44
5.36
4.74
1'Total included a third harvest of 2.49 tons.
TABLE 4. YIELDS OF SILAGE VARIETIES AT BLACK BELT SUBSTATION,, MARION JUNCTION, 1960-62
Oven-dry forage yields per acre
EtyLodging 
First 16 Second Total -
2-year av. 3-year av.
Asgrow Beefhuilder-
Lindsey11SF-
N K-315--------- --
NK-320--------- --
DeKalb FS-22
S a rt --------------
Suhi-1 Sudan ------
Lindsey 1 IF
NK-300--------- --
NK-330--------- --
DeKalb SX-11 -----
Asgrow Grazer -----
Silo King------ ----
DeKalb FS-1A -----
Dixie 18 corn-------
Auburn 602 corn
Pct.
24
70
0
91
0
0
0
(0
0
0
0
0
84
0
0
0
Tons
7.15
6.74
6.58
5.79
5.52
6.04
4.65
5.03
4.56
5.49
4.26
3.90
4.13
3.67
4.20
3.70
Tons
2.32
2.26
2.38
2.31
2.44
1.61
2.67
2.21
2.58
1.54
2.04
2.36
1.83
2.20
0
0
Tons
9.47
9.00
8.96
8.10
7.96
7.65
7.32
7.24
7.14
7.03
6.30
6.26
5.96
5.87
4.20
3.70
Tons
8.96
8.20
8.78
7.79
6.91
8.02
8.06
7.07
6.83
6.83
6.96
5.94
4.10
Tons
7.59
7.06
6.54
9.37
6.41
7.22
6.44
5.25
4.57
6. Lindsey 115-F lodged at Tallassee and Marion
Junction., Tables 3 and 4. 
Six other sorghum vari-
eties were lodged at one or more locations.
SUMMARY
A large number of forage sorghum varieties with
widely different characteristics. have been tested
at several locations in Alabama for 3 years. Vari-
ety recommendations are made on the basis of
yield, grain content, lodging, and maturity class.
Sorghum varieties are listed alphabetically within
each subgroup and are equally acceptable. If a
lower yielding but early maturing forage is de-
sired, the sorghum-Sudan hybrids such as Asgrow
Grazier and DeKalb SX-11 are satisfactory for sil-
age production.
TABLE 5. YIELDS OF SILAGE VARIETIES AT LOWER COASTAL
PLAIN SUBSTATION, CAMDEN, 1962
EntryOven-dry 
forage per 
acre
EtyJuly 5 Aug. 15 Total
Tons Tons Tom
N K -320------------------------ -- 3.00 3.00
Lindsey 115F ------------------ -- 2.93 2.93
Asgrow Beefbuilder-------------- -- 2.91 2.91
DeKalFS-22-- 2.60 2.60
Asgow Grazer 1-.77 0.80 2.57
Sart 2.53 2.53
NK-315 2.49 2.49
Silo King 2.43 2.43
Lindsey101F- 2.26 2.26
NK-330 2.13 2.13
Suhi-1 Sudan- 1.07 0.95 2.02
DeKalhSX-11- 0.91 0.92 1.83
Dixie 18 corn 1.73 1.73
NK-300 1.66 1.66
DeKalh FS-1A ------------------ -- 1.31 1.31
3-year av.
Tons
11.09
9.46
10.11
9.19
9.52
9.70
7.18
8.76
8.83
7.79
7.48
6.43
TABLE 6. YIELDS OF SILAGE VARIETIES AT GULF COAST SUBSTATION, FAIRHOPE., 1960-62
Oven-dry forage yield per acre
Entry
T-E Yieldlmaker -------
Asgrow Beefhnilder----
Lindsey 115F ---------
Lindsey lOIF---------
N K -320 -------------
DeKalh FS-22---------
N K -300------------ --
DeKalh FS-1A --------
S a rt -- ---------------
Dixie 18 cr
Lodging at each
harvest, 1962
First Second
Pct. Pct.
8 5
0 2
8 0
0 2
0 80
0 0
0 0
0 0
0 15
0
First
Tons
8.37
8.55
7.96
8.50
7.57
5.14
6.95
7.51
5.39-
7.37
1962
Second
Tons
7.02
5.63
5.31
4.70
4.75
6.00
4.12
3.47
3.48
0
Total
Tons
15.39
14.18
13.27
13.20
12.32
11.14
11.07
10.98
8.87
7.37
2-year av. 3-year av.
Tons
13.01
12.73
11.82
10.26
10.90
9.32
8.66:
10.56
6.84
Tons
9.74
10.85
8.68
7.99
10.69
6.46
RECOMMENDATIONS
High Forage Yield, Low Grain, High Sugar
Medium-early maturity: DeKaib FS-22
Medium-late maturity: Tracy
Milkmaker (Trial
basis)
Late maturity: Sart
High Forage Yield, Medium Grain, Medium to
High Sugar
Medium-early maturity:
Medium-late maturity:
Sorghum-Sudan hybrids:
Lindsey lOIF
NK-315
NK-330
Beef builder
Lindsey 115F
Yieldmaker
Asgrow Grazer
DeKalb SX-11