Summary
This exploratory field study examined how crop management practices and environmental conditions influence the nutritional quality of tannin-free sorghum grain for poultry production. Nitrogen fertilisation positively correlated with dry matter and starch content, whilst grain yield showed positive association with amino acid digestibility values, suggesting agronomic productivity may influence nutrient bioavailability. The findings indicate that environmental and management factors merit consideration when selecting sorghum grain as a poultry feed ingredient, though further mechanistic investigation may be warranted.
Regional applicability
Sorghum is not widely grown in the United Kingdom; however, findings on how crop management influences grain nutrient quality and digestibility are applicable to UK cereal and poultry production systems if alternative drought-tolerant grains (such as improved barley or wheat cultivars) are substituted. The methodology and focus on bioavailability rather than raw nutrient content offers value for UK feed formulation and animal nutrition research.
Key measures
Dry matter content, starch content, grain yield, standardised ileal amino acid digestibility (SIAD), nitrogen fertilisation rates, sorghum cultivar performance
Outcomes reported
The study quantified how nitrogen fertilisation, environmental conditions, and sorghum cultivar selection influence the nutrient composition (dry matter, starch) and amino acid digestibility (SIAD) of grain destined for broiler feed. Associations between agronomic productivity metrics and nutrient bioavailability were evaluated across six tannin-free sorghum cultivars in the southeastern United States.
Topic tags
Dig deeper with Pulse AI.
Ask about this record, its theme or its relevance to UK farming and policy. Pulse AI uses selected catalogue evidence and cites the sources it draws on.