Comparative study of production performance and nutritional value of Sorghum dochna varieties in rainfed areas in Ningxia, China

Sweet sorghum (Sorghum dochna) varieties suitable for planting in Ningxia rainfed area were screened. Seven production performance and six nutritional components of 12 sorghum varieties were comprehensively evaluated in 2019 and 2020. Significant differences were evident among the 12 sorghum varieties (P < 0.05). The ‘Hercules’ variety had the greatest stem thickness (19.32 mm). ‘F438’ had the greatest plant height and hay yield (340.94 cm and 32.78 t·ha⁻¹, respectively). The highest intensity of stem sections 1～4 and intensity of stem sections 5～7 were displayed by ‘Guangmingxing’ (76.82 N) and ‘Lvjuren’ (53.29 N). ‘Jintianza 1’ had the highest brix (16.70%), which was significantly higher than other varieties (P < 0.05). ‘Aurora’ had the highest crude protein content of 9.05%. ‘Guangmingxing’ displayed the lowest content of neutral detergent fiber (60.33%). ‘F968’ displayed the lowest content of acid detergent fiber (40.97%). Comprehensive principal component analysis showed that the main indexes of ‘F438’, ‘Aurora’, and ‘Daka’ were better, indicating their suitability for popularization and application in rainfed areas of Ningxia.