STUDIES ON WILD SORGHUM (SORGHUM ARUNDINACEUM) AS SILAGE MATERIAL

ABSTRACT

Three experiments were carried out at the Department of Animal

Science, University of Ghana, Legon on the Accra plains between

January and November, 1990 to examine

a) the factors influencing germination of "wild sorghum"

(Sorahum arundj.naceum) seeds

b) changes in the dry matter yield and nutrient composition of

"wild sorghum" with growth

c) the effect of treatment and duration of preservation on the

quality of "wild sorghum" silage.

Seeds of "wild sorghum" were used in establishing the field in

Experiment 1. Seeds were collected at 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 weeks

after inflorescence appearance and used for the germination test.

For each of the seed sample collected, four scarification

treatments, namely, mechanical, acid, hot water and dry heat were

used. High germination rates were obtained for seeds collected

between four and five weeks after inflorescence appearance and

mechanical scarification was the only treatment which improved

germination in this experiment. The germination obtained were 67.5%

and 57.0% with seed harvested at four and five weeks after

inflorescence appearance compared with the control which gave

values of 47.5% and 27.5% respectively.

In Experiment 2, the plants were harvested beginning at six

weeks post-planting and continued at two weeks intervals until the

fourteenth week,

DMY of the whole plant significantly increased (p