Biochemical composition of the aboveground sweet sorghum biomass under the dry weather conditions of the Volga region

Abstract

Outlined are the results of the many years of studying the yielding capacity and biomass biochemical composition of the perspective sweet sorghum cultivar samples. For example, in the strictly dry year 2011, the experimental average yielding capacity dropped by 17.8%. High yielding capacity (18.9–24.5 ton/hectare) and significant nutrients’ content provide for the gross energy output at the level of 138.14–207.78 GJ/hectare, while the cultivation technology and harvesting costs are 16.7–21.7 GJ/hectare. High values of the energetic efficiency coefficient (5.5–8.3) allow considering the sweet sorghum as a basic crop culture for forage production in the arid Volga regions. High sugar content in the stem sap makes it possible for the sweet sorghum to serve the raw material source for the sugar-containing food product industry.