Evaluation of the effect of two chelated foliar fertilizers on the biomass yield and quality of red sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) silage CENTA-CF in San Luis Talpa, La Paz, El Salvador

Abstract

The research was carried out from July 2021 to August 2021 on the experiment and practice station of the faculty of Agronomies sciences from Universidad de El Salvador, located in Canton Tecualuya, municipality of San Luis Talpa, department of La Paz, at a height of 50 meters over level of sea. The aim research was to evaluated the effect of two chelated foliar fertilizers on biomass yield and silage quality of red sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) CENTA-CF. A completely random block design was used with 5 blocks, 20 experimental units and 4 treatments: treatment 0 (control), where no foliar fertilizer was applied; treatment 1, what was used Mn (2.5%) + Zn (1.25%) + Mg (0.5%) + Cu (0.25%) + Fe (0.25%) + B (0.025%) in dose of 250 cc/200 It of water plus NPK (4-17-17) in 250 cc/200 It of water; treatment 2, had used Mn (2.5%) + Zn (1.25%) + Mg (0.5%) + Cu (0.25%) + Fe (0.25%) + B (0.025%) in dose of 500 cc/200 plus NPK (4-17-17) in 500 cc/200 it of water; treatment 3, had used Mn (2.5%) + Zn (1.25%) + Mg (0.5%) + Cu (0.25%) + Fe (0.25%) + B (0.025%) in dose of 1,000 cc/200It of water plus NPK (4-17-17) in 1,000 cc/200 It of water. Four variable were evaluated: stem diameter (basal intermediate and apical); plant height; biomass yield; nutritional value through proximal bromatological analysis of freshly  harvested  and  fermented material (25 days after harvest). The highest average green forage yield of sorghum and the highest average protein content in the sorghum silo was obtained with treatment two, with 48.30 cc/200 Tm. ha-1 and with 9.56% respectively; The highest average green forage yield of sorghum and the highest average protein content was got with the treatment one, with 9.40%. Keywords: foliar fertilizer, chelates, red sorghum, Sorgum bicolor, CENTA-CF, forage, silage.