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Digestibility of Bloom and Bloomless Sorghum Leaves as Determined by a Modified In Vitro Technique¹

Forage quality of three near-isogenic lines of sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench], differing primarily in the bloom and bloomless characteristic, was studied. The bloom type has a white, powdery-appearing wax on the surface of the leaves and stems not present on the bloomless type. In vitro dry matter digestibilities (IVDMD) were determined by a modified in vitro technique on 10.2-cm green-leaf segments and conventionally on similar material dried and ground. IVDMD of green leaves was 22% higher on the bloomless type compared to the bloom type, with little difference between types from the samples dried and ground. These results suggest that the bloom reduced IVDMD, and that quality of sorghum forage may be improved by selecting for the bloomless characteristic. The potential of an IVDMD technique utilizing green-leaf segments is demonstrated by these results.

Key Words: Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench • Forage quality • Cuticular wax

² Associate Professor of Agronomy, Georgia Station, and Assistant Professor, Mountain Station, respectively.

Received for publication February 4, 1972.