Variety selection and seed management of haygrazer in West Central Texas
ISSN 2158-9429
Volume 16, Issue 2 - December 2023
Editor: Linda Chalker-Scott
Abstract
Haygrazer, different varieties or crosses of sorghum and sudangrass, is the most widespread and important warm-season annual forage in West Central Texas. However, aspects of variety selection and planting management are prone to inefficiency and warrant greater understanding. The objectives of this research were to assess the value of common, yet often underserved, planting management decisions: variety selection and seeding rate. Trials were conducted in 2021, 2022, and 2023 among three counties in West Central Texas for a total of six and seven site-years assessing the effects of seeding rate and variety selection on forage production, respectively. Among seed lots evaluated, planting based on live seed per acre, rather than lbs of seed per acre, accounted for an up to 88% increase in seed-use efficiency. Further, forage yield was not affected by seeding rate (treatments ranging 350,000 to 800,000 live seed ac-1), highlighting another opportunity to improve seed-use efficiency. Among varieties tested, important relationships were quantified between maturity, height, yield, and nutritive value. Notably, the percentage of generally indigestible fiber increased with plant height, but not necessarily with increasing yield, challenging the common perception that taller is better.
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