Sorghum halepense contains dhurrin, a cyanogenic glycoside that releases hydrogen cyanide after hydrolysis. Consuming Aleppo grass can be lethal to cattle, with signs of dyspnoea, anxiety, muscular tremors and incoordination appearing 15 minutes after the animals begin to graze, followed by death 3 hours later (Nobrega et al., 2006). The amount of dhurrin depends on growing conditions such as fertilizer application, frost and water availability. In order to prevent poisoning, grazing after frost or water stress should be avoided and it is recommended to dry the forage since HCN resulting from dhurrin hydrolysis is volatile (Munro, 2010).
Aleppo grass can be a nitrate accumulator and cause nitrate poisoning in cattle: severe cases lead to death 4 to 6 hours after ingestion in cattle and horses, or caused abortion 3 to 5 days after ingestion (Munro, 2010).