Title : Sorghum as a forage alternative in semi-arid regions of northern Mexico
Abstract:
Arid and semi-arid ecosystems constitute one third of the land area, in Mexico they occupy 6% of the national territory with an average annual rainfall of 250 to 750 mm and are located in the states of Chihuahua, Sonora, Durango, Zacatecas, San Luis Potosí Jalisco.
The production of forage sorghum in Mexico competes for the use of land basically with corn, having as a parameter that in 2018 3,752 hectares of forage corn were sown with an approximate yield of 36,126 tons / ha. On the other hand of forage sorghum, 10,817 hectares were sown with an approximate yield of 24,356 tons / ha.
Some virtues of forage sorghum are greater precocity and resistance to drought, so that the crop can obtain good yields with low water consumption, in addition to not fighting pests, diseases and weeds or fertilizing, so its cost is relatively low , approximately 50 percent less cost than forage corn production.
The materials used were two varieties of forage sorghum (sorgum vulgare pers); one of them is the honey drop variety and the other the sorghum variety sweat; both low seasonal agriculture during the spring rains of summer 2018. The sowing date was July 13, 2018, with a sowing density of 15 kg per hectare, depositing the seed through a six-row planter at a depth of 6 to 8 cm.
The descriptive statistical method was used to compare the heights and to determine the averages of the percent of dry matter in plant samples in the laboratory. The validation test used the T (student) in the means of comparing means in two work groups with a 0.05, that is, with a 95 percent reliability.
The determination of the percentage of dry matter in the sample plants was carried out at 75 days of birth, since the plant was in a tenon spike and its totally green state, which is the optimal stage to cut the forage sorghum and begin its process to form silage.
The results obtained at the end show a significant difference according to the student's t method, related to the objectives they were met and the null hypothesis was rejected. Considering to be a good forage option for cattle.
