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Panicum turgidum Forsk. |
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Graminae Taman or tuman (Sudan), afezu (Nigerian Sahel), guinchi (eastern Sahara), thaman (Kuwait), markouba (Mauritania), du-ghasi (Somalia). A perennial, growing as dense bushes up to 1 m tall. It bends over and roots at the nodes. Leaves few, stems hard, bamboo-like, solid, smooth and polished; 2.5-3 mm in diameter, emitting from the nodes panicles of branches in tufts from a swollen base. Panicle terminal, 3-10 cm long; spikelets 3-4 mm long, solitary (Cooke, 1958). The roots are remarkable for their clothing of root hairs to which fine sand adheres, giving them a felty appearance (Bor, 1960). From Pakistan west through the Arabian peninsula to northern Africa. Perennial. From the Dead Sea Depression, at -380 m at Shor-es-Safiyeh, to 3 200 m in the Tibesti Mountains of the central Sahara. It occurs largely within the 250 mm isohyet. Remarkable. In the open tussock communities in Mauritania and the western Sahara plants survive by dissociating themselves from one another rather than growing in association. The root-stock is stout and the root fibres strong and woody; the root hairs bind particles of fine sand by the extrusion of a glue which allows them to absorb more moisture from the soil (see Brachiaria aura). It is usually found on deep dune sand, but will grow in a well-drained latosol. The plant usually spreads by the bending over of the stems until the nodes reach the ground, where they take root to form a new plant.Land preparation for establishment No preparation is necessary in the sandy environment in which it grows.Vigour of growth and growth rhythm In the Sahel it begins flowering in August, continues flowering through to February and is mature in June (Boudet & Duverger, 1961). The tuft grows again each year. There is a variation within the species, and there are forms with high grain yields. The vegetative yields of these forms in Near Eastern collections were up to twice those from Mauritania, especially at low levels of nutrients. Its drought tolerance, sand-binding characteristics and grain production. Its woodiness.Optimum temperature for growth It is native to hot, dry, arid climates. 4-38°N, longitude 17°W-80°E. The young leaves and shoots are very palatable; even in the dry state it is still eaten by camels and donkeys. Sand dunes on the edge of the Sahara, the arid Red Sea coast, and dunes in India. There is little response to nitrogen, but some to phosphorus and potash. 2n=18 (Fedorov, 1974). The Tuareg inhabitants of the Ahaggar Mountains in the central Sahara eat the grain (Bor, 1960); it is ground into a flour and made into porridge. It is also used for thatch, and mats (the Tuaregs use the stems with a weft of thin leather strips). The ashes are added to tobacco for chewing, and the powder from ground stems is used for healing wounds (Williams & Farias, 1972).Grass genera of the world: Information about botany, ecology etc. of the panicum genus; links to photographs of different species Williams & Farias, 1972. Grains will not germinate and establish unless 20-30 mm of rain, or its equivalent in irrigation water, is supplied, even though subsequent stages of growth are more or less tolerant to drought. Thus seedlings exist rarely, and reproduction is mainly vegetative (Williams & Farias, 1972). It is valuable for fixing dunes in the 100-400 mm rainfall areas. In the neighbourhood of the Red Sea, P. turgidum covers the whole of the coastal plain. |