Pennisetum purpureum
Napier grass
Called The Napier grass ( Pennisetum purpureum ), also elephant grass or Uganda grass, a species of the Gramineae family is ( Poaceae ).
Description
The Napier grass grows as a perennial herbaceous plant, usually with rhizomes, in bamboo -like clumps and reaches stature heights of up to 4.5 m, rarely up to 7.5 meters. The leaves have a length of up to 120 cm and a width of about 5 cm. The leaf sheaths are smooth or slightly hairy on the leaf nodes.
The flowers are available in 4.5 to 7 mm long spikelets together in a 7 to 30 cm long, dense paniculate inflorescence usually a yellowish brown, rarely has a purple color. The anthers have a small tuft of hair.
Occurrence
The Napier grass is native to the tropical grasslands of Africa. The origin of this species is in Zimbabwe in the subtropical zone of southern Africa, but it is now cultivated in most tropical and subtropical countries from the people and is the most widely cultivated forage grass. The also common name elephant grass stems from the fact that it is favorite food of elephants.
The Napier grass grows at altitudes between sea level to 2000 meters. At best it thrives in areas with high annual rainfall of about 1500 mm. Because of its deep -reaching root system can withstand short periods of drought Napier grass, but no flooding. Napier grass grows best on deep heavy to medium heavy soils.
For use in agriculture
Napier grass provides a very high yield, which can be exploited both as a forage grass and for the production of biofuel.
Already by light frost may die Napier grass, but it is usually harvested before the onset of winter, so it can be burned in power plants.
It has been proposed in accordance with the push-pull technology as a countermeasure for the drill stem in North America, because it attracts these pests, and it is already used in Kenya. The females lay their eggs on the leaves off, but when the larvae attempt to enter the plant, it reacts with the delivery of a viscid mucus, thus protecting themselves, as this kills the pests.
According to John Seymour Napier grass was planted in Kenya on artificial terraces to stop erosion.
System
The first publication of Pennisetum purpureum was made in 1827 by Heinrich Christian Friedrich Schumacher in Beskrivelse af guineiske planter som ere fundne af danske botanikere, især af Etatsraad. Thonning, page 44 synonyms are: Gymnotrix nitens Andersson, Pennisetum benthamii Steudel, P. flexispica K. Schumann, P. hainanense HR Zhao & A.T. Liu, P. macrostachyum Bentham, P. nitens ( Andersson ) Hackel.
Cultural forms
- Var merkeri (flag - grass ) is similar to normal napier grass, but with finer leaves and stems. It is grown in Puerto Rico and other territories of the Caribbean. It is drought resistant than the normal napier grass, but brings less income and poorer nutritional value. ( Whyte, Moir & Cooper, 1959). It is resistant against Helminthosporium sp. in Puerto Rico ( Vicente - Chandler et al., 1953)
- ' Capricorn ' was developed at the Biloela Research Station in Queensland, Australia for areas with heavy rainfall of over 2,500 mm per year. It is more leafy, palatable and later flowering than the normal napier grass.
- ' Pusa Giant Napier ' yields good harvests in Sri Lanka on good soils, but is of Helminthosporium sp. infested ( Pathirana & Siriwardene, 1973)
- ' Watch Iron' and 'Costa Rica 532 ' can be used in Colombia and " French Cameroon ," the Gold Coast in West Africa and British Cameroon in Africa.
- ' Chad ' is recommended by Prasad and Singh (1973 ) for the cultivation under arid conditions in West Rajasthan in India.
Pests
Napier grass can die by root and stem rot caused by Helminthosporium sacchari.
Swell
- WD Clayton: Gramineae in Flora Zambesiaca, Volume 10, Part 3, 1989: Pennisetum purpureum - Online.
- Shou- liang Chen & Sylvia M. Phillips: Pennisetum in the Flora of China: Pennisetum purpureum - Online.