Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) is a dual nature crop, which is used for food as well as fodder, depending on plant ideotype. Sorghum forage is important for ruminants, but a major constraint is the anti-nutritional factor dhurrin, a hydrocyanic acid (HCN) producing glucoside. There are several additional effects of dhurrin, which reduce the nutritional value of sorghum fodder for livestock. This two-year study was aimed to evaluate the variation among diverse sorghum varieties, specifically for HCN content, forage yield and stem sugar content (brix value) under arid climate in Pakistan. Nine sorghum varieties were used for this experiment: JS-2002, Chakwal sorghum, Lines CS-17, Super late, PAK SS-2, Johar, JS-263, Sargodha-2011 and YSS-98. Results reveal that Sargodha-2011 had superior morphological traits for fresh forage and dry biomass yield, and stem brix value, compared to other varieties. Higher HCN contents were recorded in Super late compared to other varieties. Significant negative correlation of HCN with yield showed that improvement in yield will reduce the HCN content of sorghum. In conclusion, sorghum variety SGD-11 was shown best performing for higher biomass yield and brix value, and lower HCN content compared to other tested varieties under arid climate of Thal, Pakistan.

高粱（Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench）是一种双性作物，根据植物表型，可用作食品和饲料。高粱饲料对反刍动物很重要，但主要的限制因素是抗营养因子dhurrin，一种产生氢氰酸（HCN）的葡萄糖苷。白杜素还有一些额外的影响，它会降低高粱饲料对牲畜的营养价值。这项为期两年的研究旨在评估巴基斯坦干旱气候下不同高粱品种之间的差异，特别是 HCN 含量、饲料产量和茎糖含量（白利糖度值）。本实验使用了九个高粱品种：JS-2002、Chakwal sorghum、Lines CS-17、Super Late、PAK SS-2、Johar、JS-263、Sargodha-2011 和 YSS-98。结果表明，与其他品种相比，Sargodha-2011 在新鲜饲料、干生物量产量以及茎白利糖度方面具有优异的形态性状。与其他品种相比，Super Late 的 HCN 含量更高。HCN与产量呈显着负相关，表明产量的提高会降低高粱的HCN含量。总之，与巴基斯坦塔尔干旱气候下的其他测试品种相比，高粱品种 SGD-11 表现最佳，具有更高的生物量产量和糖度值，以及更低的 HCN 含量。