Sudan grass Priobskaya 97 – an early-ripening variety that matures 2-3 days earlier than the standard type. Under normal climatic conditions, the heading phase is observed approximately 41-45 days after germination, and full seed maturity is achieved by day 90.
The plant is erect, with a height of 170-190 cm and a bushiness of 15-20 stems. The stems are thin (3-6 mm in diameter) with 5-7 internodes, the leaves are green, 30-50 cm long and 2-3 cm wide, with soft serrated edges. The root system is well-developed and highly branched, ensuring stability under unfavorable conditions.
The panicle is multi-branched, loose, and spreading; it becomes one-rowed with a length of 30-35 cm when seeds mature. The spikelets are sessile, elongated-lanceolate in shape, awned, with knee-awned awns 1.0-1.7 cm long and brown glume color. The caryopsis is membranous, oval-elliptic in shape, black-brown.
Yield: green mass – 18.6-19.4 t/ha; dry matter – 6.6-9.3 t/ha; seeds – 2.2-2.5 t/ha. These figures are higher than standard values by 1.5-0.28 t respectively. The variety is characterized by increased plasticity, vigorous growth in the initial period, and good responsiveness to cultural levels. Susceptibility to smut is lower than the standard (0.05% vs 0.25%).
