What is dhurrin free sorghum-sudangrass? Well, prussic acid is commonly produced in sorghum plants including johnsongrass. This is a real problem for cattle producers because prussic acid can kill cows! Prussic acid is produced in the sorghum plants by the breakdown of dhurrin which accumulates in young tissues especially when under stress. So if you could develop a plant without dhurrin then you have a plant without prussic acid!
Purdue University has developed a dhurrin free (DX) sorghum-sudangrass hybrid that should be a super addition to any grazing program. According to a research study conducted by Purdue they compared their new DX hybrid to 3 conventional hybrids and the sheep in the experiment grazed more on the DX hybrid. Also the DX hybrid was safer than all 3 conventional hybrids so that by September they found prussic acid in all 3 conventional hybrids and none in the DX hybrid. Hopefully this new DX hybrid will be available soon.
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