Abstract: To select sweet sorghum varieties suitable for making good silage in southern Xinjiang, the sensory traits and nutrient content in different kinds of sweet sorghum silage and maize silage were evaluated. Six varieties of sweet sorghum with different sugar contents and one maize variety were chosen to make silage in plastic cans. 1) The success rate was 100% in the ensiling from Xin-sorghum No.2, Cowley and Rio. The pH in the silage was less than 4.12 and the sensory evaluation was excellent. For Tian-si No.1 and maize, the success rate was 80%, the pHs were 4.27 and 4.18 respectively, and the sensory evaluation was good. For Hunnigreen, the success rate was 40%, pH was 4.97 with sensory evaluation a medium grade 3. For X096 the success rate was 20%, pH 5.31 and it was rated as 4-corruption. Rio, Cowley, Xin-sorghum No.2 and maize silages had higher levels of lactic acid and lower level of butyric acid, while the silages made from X096, Hunnigreen sweet sorghum had more butyric acid and less lactic acid. 2) Water content was highest in Hunnigreen sweet sorghum silage (P<0.05) and lowest in X096 sweet sorghum silage (P<0.05). The crude protein contents in the silages from sweet sorghum Rio, Cowley and maize were more than 7%, which was significantly (P<0.05) higher than those in other silages, with minimum crude protein content being 5.7% from X096. Crude fat content in sweet sorghum Cowley silage was 3.30%, was significantly (P<0.05) higher than those in other silages. Water-soluble carbohydrate (WSC) contents in Cowley and Rio sweet sorghum silages were more than 4.5%, significantly (P<0.05) higher than those in the silages from other varieties. The WSC content in maize silage was larger than those in X096 and Tian-si No.1 sweet sorghum silages. 3) The contents of crude fiber, neutral detergent fiber and acid detergent fiber in X096 silage were higher compared to other silages (P<0.05), but the amounts of such components were almost the same in Rio, Cowley and Tian-si No.1 (P>0.05). 4) There were no significant differences between the silages in the contents of ash, calcium and phosphorus. The results suggested that choosing sweet sorghum Xin-sorghum No.2, Cowley and Rio instead of maize to make silage is possible in Southern Xinjiang. In order to reduce moisture, it is better to delay harvesting or to dry for a short time before making silage using Hunnigreen sweet sorghum as the raw material.