Podlasova EYu, Belkov GI.

Animal Husbandry and Fodder Production. 2026. Vol. 109. No. 1. Р. 274-282.

doi: 10.33284/2658-3135-109-1-274

Original article

Evaluation of the productivity and biochemical composition of grain sorghum and

sudangrass as promising forage crops in the Orenburg region

 

Ekaterina Yu Podlasova1, Grigory I Belkov2

1,2Federal Research Centre of Biological Systems and Agrotechnologies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Orenburg, Russia

1katerina.pryakhina@mail.ru, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2985-198X

2orniish@mail.ru, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1122-9228

Abstract. In the central zone of the Orenburg Region, the potential of grain sorghum and sudangrass was studied in terms of their biochemical composition and green mass productivity. Grain sorghum provided the highest green mass yield of 14 t/ha and a leaf surface area of 14.3 thousand m2/ha, compared to sudangrass, which yielded 12.4 t/ha and 6.6 thousand m2/ha, respectively. The highest protein content in the green mass was found in grain sorghum, which was 10.46%, while the highest content of crude ash and potassium was found in sudangrass, which was 6.8% and 8694 mg/kg, respectively. The highest content of photosynthetic pigments was found in sudangrass at the stage of milk-wax maturity of the grain: Car ‒ 0.94, Cl a ‒ 24.3, Cl b ‒ 8.1, and Cl a+b ‒ 14.6. sudangrass showed a more pronounced lipid stress of lipid peroxidation (POL) by malondialdehyde (MDA) 27.48 μmol/g and a higher catalase activity of 0.418 μH2O/mg with a lower superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity of 0.008 relative units/mg. It was found that the content of polyphenols in the green mass was the highest in grain sorghum (0.09 mg/g), while the content of flavonoids in the studied crops was almost the same (5.88 and 5.78 mg/g). According to the results of the studies, grain sorghum is a more effective crop in terms of green mass volume and protein composition, while sudangrass complements the mineral profile and provides different antioxidant protection compared to grain sorghum.

Keywords: grain sorghum, Sorghum bicolor, sudangrass, Sorghum sudanense, photosynthetic pigments, biochemical indicators, green mass yield

Acknowledgments: the work was supported in accordance to the plan of research works for  2022-2026 FSBRI FRC BST RAS (No. FNWZ-2022-0014).

For citation: Podlasova EYu, Belkov GI. Evaluation of the productivity and biochemical composition of grain sorghum and sudangrass as promising forage crops in the Orenburg region. Animal Husbandry and Fodder Production. 2026;109(1):274-282. (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.33284/2658-3135-109-1-274

 

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Information about the authors:

Ekaterina Yu Podlasova, Cand. Sci. (Agriculturе), Researcher at the Laboratory of Breeding and Genetic Research in Crop Production, Federal Research Centre for Biological Systems and Agrotechnologies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 27/1 Gagarin Ave., Orenburg, 460051, tel.: 89877866593.

Grigory I Belkov, Dr. Sci. (Agriculture), Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Scientific Director, Federal Research Centre of Biological Systems and Agrotechnologies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 27/1 Gagarin Ave., Orenburg, 460051, tel.: 8(3532)30-83-44.

The article was submitted 16.01.2026; approved after reviewing 24.02.2026; accepted for publication 16.03.2026.

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