Sudangrass vs Sorghum Hybrids - Best Uses for Summer Forage

By Blake Jackson

Sudangrass and sorghum-sudangrass hybrids are popular warm-season annual forages that provide producers with high-quality grazing and forage options during the summer months.

According to Chris Teutsch, Ray Smith, Tom Keene, and Jimmy C. Henning, forage specialists and extension professors from the University of Kentucky, sudangrass is a fast-growing grass with fine stems that make it especially suitable for hay production, while also recovering quickly after grazing for multiple harvests throughout the growing season.

Sorghum-sudangrass hybrids combine the characteristics of sorghum and true sudangrass, producing taller plants with thicker stems and greater forage yields. Because of their coarse stems, these hybrids are generally better suited for grazing, baleage, or chopped silage rather than dry hay.

For best performance, both crops should be planted in fertile, well-drained soils with a pH between 6.0 and 6.5 after the danger of frost has passed and soil temperatures reach at least 60ºF.

Fertilizer applications should follow soil test recommendations, with nitrogen added at planting and after each harvest if additional regrowth is desired. However, nitrogen should not be applied during drought conditions.

Proper harvest management is essential for maintaining forage quality. Grazing should begin only after plants reach at least 20 inches in height, while hay or silage harvest is recommended when stands grow between 30 and 40 inches tall. Leaving 6 to 10 inches of stubble encourages healthy regrowth and additional harvest opportunities.

Producers should also monitor potential safety concerns. Under stressful growing conditions, including drought or excessive nitrogen fertilization, these forages may accumulate dangerous nitrate levels.

Young or frost-damaged plants can also produce prussic acid, creating a poisoning risk for livestock. Testing suspect forage, allowing frost-damaged plants to dry completely before grazing, and proper ensiling or hay curing can significantly reduce these hazards while ensuring safe and productive forage use.

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