World SeedJohnson Grass (Sorghum halepense)
Johnson grass is a perennial sorghum that regrows from rhizomes for many years, gives three to five cuts of 8–12 % protein hay in a season and survives drought and cold that kill annual sorghums. In Iraq, Iran, the Gulf, Sudan, Egypt and much of Central Asia it is a traditional and legally imported forage. In the United States, Canada, Australia, South Africa and the EAEU it is a listed noxious or quarantine weed and cannot be imported as seed. This page gives its agronomy and seed standards and states clearly where it can and cannot be sent.
Botanical identity and type
Botanical name: Sorghum halepense (L.) Pers., Poaceae.
Origin / type: Perennial rhizomatous sorghum of the Mediterranean and West Asia; forage-type selections multiplied under contract in Sindh.
Crop type: Perennial rhizomatous warm-season grass for managed hay and grazing in West Asia, the Nile valley and Central Asia; a regulated noxious weed elsewhere.
Johnson grass grows 1.5–2.5 m tall from a network of fleshy rhizomes that can extend more than a metre a year, which is both its value as a forage (persistence, drought recovery, regrowth after cutting) and its danger as a weed of row crops. Leaves are broad with a white midrib; the open panicle sets small reddish-brown seed that shatters readily and persists in soil for several years. As a forage it is cut at boot stage every 35–45 days, giving 8–15 t/ha of dry matter a year with irrigation and hay that cures faster than forage sorghum because of its thinner stems. The rhizomes survive soil temperatures well below freezing, so stands persist through Central Asian and Iranian winters where annual sorghums must be resown.
Like all sorghums it contains dhurrin and releases prussic (hydrocyanic) acid when young, frosted, wilted by drought or regrowing after cutting; livestock deaths on stressed Johnson grass are well documented. The rules are the same as for sudan grass and BMR 313: cut or graze only above 45–60 cm, never after frost or during severe drought, wilt or cure before feeding, and test nitrate after a drought-then-rain sequence. Seed is about 250,000–330,000 per kg; export lots are cleaned to 95 % purity and tested to 75 % germination.
Legal status. Johnson grass seed is exported only to destinations where the plant is admitted as a forage species. It is imported under a standard import permit or without species restriction in the Gulf states, Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Egypt, Sudan, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, where it has been cultivated for decades. It is a prohibited or noxious weed seed in the United States (listed as a noxious weed seed under most state seed laws and the Federal Seed Act; not saleable as seed), Canada (Prohibited Noxious, Weed Seeds Order), Australia (declared and prohibited; nil tolerance at the border under BICON), South Africa (listed invasive, permit required) and Kazakhstan and Russia (EAEU unified quarantine list). It cannot be certified for marketing as fodder seed in the EU. Kohenoor does not ship this product to those countries and declares sorghum and sudan grass lots free of it for them; see the phytosanitary table.
Agronomy at a glance
Figures are typical ranges under good management; local trials should confirm rates for a specific site. Use the sowing rate tables to convert kg/ha to per-acre, per-feddan or per-jerib rates.
| Parameter | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Sowing rate | 10–15 kg/ha drilled; 15–20 kg/ha broadcast (typical); can also be planted from rhizome pieces |
| Sowing depth | 2–3 cm into moisture |
| Row spacing | Broadcast or 25–30 cm rows |
| Days to first cut | 60–75 days in the sowing year; 35–45 days between cuts thereafter |
| Cuts per year | 3–5; stand persists 4–8 years from rhizomes |
| Yield, green | 40–70 t/ha/year (typical, irrigated) |
| Yield, dry matter | 8–15 t/ha/year |
| Crude protein | 8–12 % DM at boot stage; 12–14 % in young regrowth |
| Soil pH | 5.5–8.5 |
| Water need | 500–800 mm; survives drought via rhizomes and regrows with rain |
| Temperature | Optimum 25–35 °C; tops killed by frost; rhizomes survive to about −10 °C soil temperature |
| Salinity tolerance | Moderate: threshold ECe ~5 dS/m |
| Seeds per kg | 250,000–330,000 |
Export seed standards
Standards below are those written on the ISTA-format test report issued with each export lot. See how purity and germination standards work and how to read the report.
| Parameter | Export standard | Method / note |
|---|---|---|
| Pure seed (purity) | 95.0 % min | ISTA purity analysis on a 4-component working sample |
| Germination | 75 % min | ISTA between-paper or sand test, 4 x 100 seeds, normal seedlings |
| Moisture | 12 % max | ISTA oven method (low-constant temperature, 103 °C, 17 h) |
| Inert matter | 4.0 % max | Chaff, soil, broken pieces smaller than half seed |
| Other crop seed | 0.5 % max | Seeds of any other cultivated species |
| Weed seed | 0.2 % max | By number and identity on the report |
| Destination check | Shipped only to countries admitting S. halepense | Import permit or written confirmation from importer's plant-health authority before order |
| Seed treatment | Untreated (standard); phosphine fumigation on request | Stated on the phytosanitary certificate |
Where it is grown
Forage-type seed is multiplied under contract on isolated, irrigated fields in Sindh (Sanghar, Umerkot) from March–April sowings, with panicles harvested September–November before shatter. Fields are kept 500 m or more from sorghum and sudan grass seed crops, which are separately inspected and declared free of Johnson grass. Lots ship from November.
Importing markets: Iraq, Iran, Sudan, Egypt, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan. It is grown as a perennial hay and grazing grass along the Tigris and Euphrates in Iraq, in Khuzestan and Fars in Iran, on Nile silt in Egypt and Sudan, and as a persistent summer forage in the Fergana valley and the Amu Darya basin of Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.
Buying notes
Johnson Grass (Perennial Forage Type) is exported by Kohenoor International from Karachi and Port Qasim under HS 1209.29. Standard pack is 25 kg; minimum order 1 x 20ft (smaller lots possible). New-crop seed ships from November to destinations where the species is admitted; the importer's permit or authority confirmation is required before order confirmation. Every shipment carries a phytosanitary certificate (Department of Plant Protection, Pakistan), a certificate of origin, an ISTA-format purity and germination report, packing list and invoice; fumigation certificate and COA on request.
Pricing, samples and shipment planning are handled on the specialist product site: hybridsorghum.com. For loading weights see the container capacity table; for destination paperwork see phytosanitary requirements by destination.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| HS code | 1209.29 |
| Pack | 25 kg |
| Minimum order | 1 x 20ft (smaller lots possible) |
| Purity / germination on report | 95% min / 75% min |
| Shipping terms | FOB or CIF Karachi / Port Qasim |
| Specialist site | hybridsorghum.com |
Frequently asked questions
Is it legal to import Johnson grass seed?
It depends on the destination. The Gulf states, Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Egypt, Sudan, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan admit it as a forage species under their normal seed import rules. The United States, Canada, Australia, South Africa, Kazakhstan and Russia list it as a noxious or quarantine weed and prohibit it; it cannot be marketed as certified fodder seed in the EU. Kohenoor ships only to admitting countries and asks for the importer's permit or authority confirmation first.
Why grow Johnson grass rather than sudan grass?
Persistence. Johnson grass regrows from rhizomes for four to eight years, survives winter frost and drought, and needs no annual resowing. Sudan grass yields more in its single season and is safer to graze, but must be sown every year. Where land will stay in grass and rhizome spread can be contained, Johnson grass costs less per year.
Does Johnson grass have prussic acid?
Yes, as do all sorghums. Risk is highest in young shoots under 45–60 cm, in regrowth after cutting, and after frost or drought. Cut or graze above that height, never feed frosted or severely stressed material fresh, and wilt green chop or cure hay before feeding.
How is spread into other fields prevented?
Keep the stand on its own irrigated block with a cultivated border, cut before seed set, clean machinery before moving to row crops and do not allow the rhizomes to be dragged by tillage. Where that discipline cannot be kept, sudan grass or a sorghum hybrid is the safer choice.
What is the HS code for Johnson grass seed?
HS 1209.29 (other seeds of forage plants for sowing). The phytosanitary certificate names Sorghum halepense; the destination's import permit must admit that species by name.
Need Johnson Grass (Perennial Forage Type) seed?
The knowledge base is maintained by Kohenoor International's agronomy team. Quotes for Johnson Grass (Perennial Forage Type) are handled by the export desk and the specialist site linked in the buying notes.
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