hercules bmr bd - bestforage.com€¦ · hercules bmr bd pearl millet uses: • grazing -...

Hercules BMR BD Pearl Millet

USES:• Grazing - recommended begin height is 20 to 24 inches with a stop

height of 6 to 7 inches

• Hay/Baleage - the large number and size of the leaves as well as the dry stalk trait make PM Hercules BMR a superior hay/baleage product

• Silage - The large amounts of digestible energy coming from the high quality fiber in PM Hercules BMR, along with the great leaf to stem ratio means that you can expect a superior, highly nutritious silage product time after time

If desired, this product can be planted in rows and harvested similar to a forage sorghum or silage corn: 30” rows = 2 - 3 pounds per acre

SEEDING:• Soil temperature of 60 degrees F and climbing• Average seeds per pound: 50,000• Planting depth should be 1 ½” to 2”, depending on soil moisture• Planting date should be after the day length exceeds 12 hours

and 20 minutes• Follow recommended seeding rates for your area: ▸ Higher moisture areas: 15 to 20 lbs per acre ▸ High plains (lower moisture): 10 to 15 lbs per acre• Can be no-tilled into the stubble of winter and spring crops• Works great following cereal grain productions• Do not plant in soil with pH greater than 7.5 as iron chlorosis

can be a problem

FERTILITY:• Please test your soil!• Under favorable conditions, 1 to 1.25 lbs of nitrogen per day of planned

growth should be available for ultimate growth, with little risk for nitrate poisoning. For example, for a planned 40 day harvest, 40 to 45 lbs of nitrogen should be available

• Potassium levels should be maintained similar to that of corn • If soil pH is greater than 7.2, an application of iron may be necessary to

prevent Iron Chlorosis

BD = Brachytic Dwarf

Hercules BMR BD hybrid pearl millet is an enhanced summer annual product that delivers a versatile, high quality forage product to dairy, beef, sheep and goat producers. This dwarf-type summer annual is an excellent forage producer with all the attributes that the producer is looking for, such as: rapid growth and regrowth, unsurpassed water use efficiency, drier stalks for exceptional dry down for hay, excellent disease resistance and resistance to aphids. Plus with no risk of prussic acid poisoning! This is THE summer annual that needs to be on your acres and fed to your livestock. You will not be disappointed.

• Dwarf gene provides increased leaf to stem ratio, increased standability and adapts to heavier grazing pressure

• Rapid growth and regrowth (faster than sorghum x sudan grass)• Excellent disease resistance package• Needs about 30% less H20 than sorghum products• BMR gene for improved palatability, feed intake, digestability

and animal utilization

HARVEST• First cutting: for best quality, plan to harvest within 40 days of growth

and less than 40 inches of growth• Cutting height: for optimum regrowth, crop should be harvested

leaving 2 nodes or approximately 6 to 8 inches of plant material• Use sharp blades: a clean cutting will enhance regrowth• Sorghum species dry down slowly due to the bloom found on the

plant: it is advised to swath the harvested crop, wilting to desired moisture level before picking up for storage

• Quality levels, including NDFd and protein, will decline if crop is harvested after flowering

• Harvest during vegetative growth to insure ultimate forage quality• For highest energy levels, harvest crop at flag leaf stage after day

length has dropped below 12 hrs 20 mins. Sugar formulation in sorghum stalks will be at their highest levels from this stage until grain formation- depending on seeding date, height of plants may present challenges for harvest.

SUMMER ANNUALS

CHARACTERISTICS

BMR BMR 6

Traits BD

Maturity Medium

Seedling Vigor 5

Recovery After Cutting 5

Leaf Disease Resistance 5

Sugarcane Aphid Tolerance 5

Double Crop 5

Single Silage Cut 4

Rapid Dry Down 4

Unless indicated, a standard 5 point rating system is used. Ratings are based on comparison with other products of like maturity /product use. 1 = POOR 5 = EXCELLENT

AVOIDING NITRATE AND PRUSSIC ACID POISONING• Do not harvest drought stricken plants within four days

following a heavy rain• Do not apply nitrogen prior to expected drought periods• If in doubt, cut at higher stubble height as nitrates tend to

accumulate in the lower stalk• No HCN or risk of prussic acid

info@laxseed.com800.356.SEEDsummer-select.comlacrosseseed.com