Productivity and sustainability of sorgum forage crop as an alternative for feeding ruminants.

Abstract

Sorghum (Sorghum vulgare) is a crop that has been visualized as another bovine feeding alternative, preserved by silo for cattle, because it is highly functional with respect to traditional feeding methodologies such as native or improved forage grazing. It is important to note that sorghum is considered a crop with good adaptation and tolerance to drought conditions, which are limiting for other types of forage; It also has a high production of green matter and an efficient regrowth capacity of plants since it is a fast growing species and needs less nutritional requirements. The characteristics mentioned make sorghum a viable option for use in bovine feed systems in Colombia, with models that support the sustainability of the livestock.

According to the above, the objective of this work is to analyze and evaluate the sorghum-based livestock feed bank model as a sustainable alternative as a supplement for bovine nutrition in the life zone Tropical moist forest , through analysis-synthesis of sustainability of the sorghum silo in the environmental, social, economic, institutional and technical areas, and showing results of productive evaluation of seven Sorgo genotypes, as a forage base for silo production, providing a tool to implement feeding strategies applied to bovine production systems. It is highlighted through the analysis made that sorghum can be a sustainable and profitable alternative, identifying sorghum varieties that can have adequate production levels in the life zone. ABS 7000 genotype was in

second place in fresh biomass production of 66.95 T / ha and a proportion of intermediate dry matter (DM) 18.72%.