Morphology, yield and minerals content of new sorghum cultivars harvested in two grain vegetative stage and two harvesting season

Abstract

It was assessed morphological parameters, yield and mineral contents of grains and panicles of new sorghum cultivars harvested in two grain vegetative stages and two year season. Those sorghum cultivars (CIAP MC-04-12, CIAP 2E-95, CIAP 132R-05) were sown on experimental station at CIAP, Santa Clara, Cuba. The results were processed in the general lineal model (SPSS 21.0) to assess the effects of sorghum culti -var, the grain vegetative stage and harvesting season on morphological variables (plant high, stalk diameter, knot per stalk, leaves per plant, peduncle length, panicle length), yield (forage, grain, panicles) and minerals contents (Ca, P, Mg, Fe, Zn, Cu, Mn) in grains and panicles. The small panicles (P<0,001) in both harvesting season corresponded to CIAP 132R-05 and the biggest panicle (P<0,001) to CIAP MC-04-12. The CIAP 2E-95 showed the higher forage production (DM/ha) in both harvesting season. In the grain vegetative stage of hard dough was evidenced the higher grains and panicles production in terms of dry matter/ha. It was concluded that CIAP MC-04-12 showed the highest mineral concentration in their grains and that the three sorghum cultivars have Zn and Mn contents that not cover the sow’s requirements at gestation-lactation stages, hence the diets to those sows’ categories on base grains and panicles from those sorghum cultivars should be su-pplemented with Zn and Mn