Integrating biomass productivity and forage quality to identify superior inbred sorghum lines grown in Egyptian sandy soils

Abstract Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench is a globally significant cereal crop, increasingly favored over maize for forage due to its superior tolerance to abiotic stresses and cost‐effectiveness. However, high lignin content remains a primary constraint for livestock digestibility. This study evaluated the forage potential of two Sudan grass varieties (white‐seeded and black‐seeded) and five sweet sorghum varieties (MN1054, Sugar Drip, GK Aron, Rex, and Ramada). Agronomic analysis identified Ramada and black‐seeded Sudan grass as having the highest and lowest biomass yields, respectively. While Sugar Drip exhibited the highest Brix values, Ramada surpassed all varieties in potential juice and sugar yields per unit area. Comparative assessments revealed higher fiber constituents (neutral detergent fiber and acid detergent lignin) in black‐seeded Sudan grass, corresponding with lower metabolic energy, net energy of lactation, and short‐chain fatty acid yields. Conversely, Sugar Drip and Rex exhibited significantly enhanced in vitro digestibility and organic matter intake compared to the GK Aron and Sudan grass varieties. Notably, crude protein levels remained below 7.0%, with Ramada significantly recording higher crude protein concentrations. Cluster analysis categorized the seven varieties into two distinct groups based on biomass yield and forage quality. The first cluster included Ramada, Sugar Drip, and Rex, with the latter two showing the strongest similarity, while the second cluster contained black‐seeded Sudan grass, MN1054, white‐seeded Sudan grass, and GK Aron. Based on biomass productivity and sugar yield, Ramada emerged as the superior variety for forage production, with Sugar Drip and Rex also demonstrating high suitability under the study conditions.