Mohammed Dows*⁽¹⁾ Ahmad AL-Mowlem⁽²⁾ Rashad Basha ⁽¹⁾

(1). Central Highlands Regional Agricultural Research Station, Yemen.

(2). Northern Highlands Agricultural Research Station. Yemen. 

(* Corresponding author: Mohammed M. Dows. Email: mmydows1975@yahoo.com).

Received: 13/11/2017                                Accepted: 18/03/2018

Abstract

The study was carried out at Central Highlands Research Farm, in Yemen, during 2014 and 2015 seasons, to study the adaptation of five sorghum varieties introduced from (ICBA) and local variety (white sorghum) against climate changes, to obtain good quantity and high forage yield varieties. RCBD design with three replications was used. Results revealed a significant effect at p≤0.01 and p≤0.05 among varieties, years and interaction between varieties and years. High significant effect for introduced varieties over local variety in number of days to 50% of flowering, nodes height, plant height, green and dry matter yields, with percentages of 13.26, 34.47, 35.19, 173.69 and 200.72% respectively. While, local variety has superiority in stem diameter with 80.57%. Years recorded high significant effect on forage morphological and productivity features. Since, 2014 year has superiority in stem diameter and nodes height with 18.41 and 87.4% respectively over 2015 which recorded majority in green and dry matter forage yields 58.9 and 14.72 t/ha respectively, comparing with 2014 which gave 38.52 and 10.41 t/ha respectively, of range 51.58 and 40% for 2015 respectively. Interaction between varieties and years affected all studied traits except number of leaves/plant. Sweit Jumbo and Supine Dan sorghum varieties had highest green yield over two years 61.19 and 60.40 t/ha, respectively. These two introduced varieties could be recommended to be grown in Yemen for high yield and quality of forage.

Key words: Forage green yield, Forage sorghum, Yemen.

Full paper in Arabic: PDF