Possibilities of Sudan gras use in organic farming

Abstract

Sudanska trava je kultura koja se odlikuje visokim prinosima i hranjivim vrijednostima. Iznenađujuće je da zapravo zahtijeva vrlo skromne uvijete za uspjevnje, što ju čini idealnom kulturom za ekološki uzgoj.Može se uzgajati i kao postrni usjev jer:štiti tlo od insolacije i vjetra te mu na taj način čuva strukturu, obogačuje tlo organskom tvari, spriječava širenje bolesti i štetnika. Sudanska trava, Sirak i njihovi hibridi su otporni na sušu pa predstavljaju dobru alternativu višegodišnjim travnatim vrstama u kompezaciji pada produktivnosti u sušnom dijelu godine. Odlikuju se visokim prinosima suhe tvari, kako u postrnim tako i u glavnim rokovima sjetve. Naročoto je zanimljivo što sudanska trava zasijana kao postrni usijev ne ugrožava proizvodnju hrane za ljude i životinje. Zbog izrazito visokog prinosa zelene mase, sudanska trava postaje zanimljiva kultura koja može zamijeniti silažni kukuruz u bioplinskim postrojenjima. Dokazano je da se dodavanjem sudanske trave, radi poboljšanja svojstava gnojovke, a u cilju proizvodnje bioplina, povećana je količina proizvedenog bioplina za 32 %. Statistički značajne razlike u koncentraciji metana između skupina nisu utvrđene, tj. dodavanjem biomase ne ugrožava se energetska kakvoća bioplina.Sudan grass is a high-yield culture that is rich in nutrients. Since it does not require a lot to grow, it is an ideal culture for ecological cultivation. It can be grown as a cover crop because it protects the soil from insolation and wind thus preserving its structure, it increases soil organic matter levels, and it prevents the spread of certain diseases and pests. Sudan grass and its hybrids are drought resistant which makes them a great alternative to perennial plants – Sudan grass and its hybrids compensate for the decrease in productivity during the drought periods. They are capable of producing high amount of dry matter during the harvest of both the cover crops and cash crops. What is also interesting is that Sudan grass, when grown as a cover crop, does not have a negative effect on the production of food for people or forage for animals.Since it produces a great amount of yields, Sudan grass is an interesting alternative to using corn silage in biogas plants. It has been proven that the amount of generated biogas can be increased up to 32 % by adding the Sudan grass to improve the effects of manure in biogas production. There was no statistically significant difference in methane concentration between the groups, which means that the quality of biogas was in no way affected by adding the biomas