|
Panicum coloratum L. var. makarikariense Goossens |
|
Graminae Makarikari grass (Australia), Makarikari panicum (southern Africa). Cultivar Bambatsi is an erect, tussocky perennial, shortly rhizomatous, seldom stoloniferous. Culms robust, glaucous, branching and erect to a height of 1.5-1.8 m; nodes geniculate, slightly enlarged, leaf-blade 46 cm long and 13 mm wide in the prominent wide opaque midrib. Auricle absent. Inflorescence a large, open, nodding panicle 25-33 cm long, rachis grooved and partly flattened. Spikelets 2 mm long. Seed: the lemma and palea closely invest the caryopsis; the "seed" is ovoid, 2.25 mm long, smooth shiny, grey-black. About 95 percent of the population have the erect habit, about 5 percent have the more spreading and stoloniferous habit described for cv. Pollock (Barnard, 1972). Collected from the Makarikari pan in Botswana. Introduced widely. Summer. Sea-level to 2 000 m. It fits into a 500-1 000 mm rainfall belt with a dominant summer incidence. A reasonable degree of drought tolerance (Bott, 1978). In its centre of origin it exists on flood plains receiving as little as 375 mm/year. Adapted to self-mulching, high-fertility, black clay soils where poor aeration conditions are common (Lloyd, 1970). It will spread slowly from shattered seed and by stolons.Land preparation for establishment Prepare a good seed-bed with a 5 cm mulch if possible (Lloyd & Scateni, 1968). Drilling on the contours in small drill furrows at 1.5 cm with fluted roller-press wheels following gives excellent stands (Wilson, 1978). Seed may be broadcast and rolled in afterwards. Sow in rows 90 cm apart for inter-row cultivation or 30-45 cm for irrigation. Surface, to no deeper than 2 cm (Bogdan, 1964; Lloyd & Scateni, 1968). Early or late wet season at 2-4 kg/ha. Midsummer seeding encourages too much weed competition. 962 000 ('Bambatsi', Queensland). P. coloratum showed good tolerance to atrazine when used as a pre-emergence and post-emergence spray on black clay soils on the Darling Downs, south-eastern Queensland up to 4 kg/ha (Scateni, 1978). The seedlings have poor competitive ability (Bott, 1978) but improve later (Lloyd, 1970).Vigour of growth and growth rhythm It grows rapidly during late spring and summer but is dormant in winter (Lloyd, 1970). It withstands heavy grazing when established, but graze lightly for the first six months down to 7.5 cm when the first flower-head appears (Lloyd & Scateni, 1968) to encourage tiller development. It should be grazed lightly in its first year, but when established can withstand heavy stocking. Spell during the summer and autumn if possible to preserve green leaf for the winter. It will survive annual fires.Dry-matter and green-matter yields Under experimental conditions it produces over 20 000 kg/ha per year with a dressing of 650 kg N/ha per year (Lloyd, 1970).Suitability for hay and silage It makes useful hay in southern Africa with 9 percent crude protein (59 percent digestible) and 60 percent total digestible nutrients in the dry matter (Göhl, 1975). Medling (1972) made good silage in plastic bags in Panama when 10 percent molasses was added.Value as a standover or deferred feed It is excellent, as it bears green leaf throughout the winter. No toxicity has been reported by Everist (1974). Roe (1972) recorded 410 kg/ha by collecting shattered seed, 123 kg/ha by direct heading. Let the seed sweat in a 15-25 cm heap for two days to ripen more seed, then dry seed thoroughly.
Optimum temperature for growth About 35°C.Minimum temperature for growth It makes no growth during the winter. Recovers better than green panic after winter. Cultivar Pollock is quite frost tolerant, with 85 percent survival after the first winter on the Darling Downs (Jones, 1969), but cv. Kabulabula is very susceptible to frost. 13.5-30.3°N and S (Russell & Webb, 1976). It prefers full sunlight. Weed competition may be a problem early in its life because of its slow establishment (Lloyd & Scateni, 1968).Maximum germination and quality required for sale 80 percent purity and 20 percent germination in Queensland. Germinate at 20-35°C, moistened with water. Scarify seed. It has no serious pests. It is very palatable.Chemical analysis and digestibility Fresh, early bloom material contained 18.9 percent crude protein, 28.6 percent crude fibre, 11.0 percent ash, 2.6 percent ether extract and 38.9 percent nitrogen-free extract in the dry matter (Dougall & Bogdan, 1958). Occurs in warm, dry bushveld in Africa Stands waterlogged conditions extremely well (Bott, 1978). In addition to basic phosphorus and potash where required, it responds well to increasing nitrogen up to 900 kg/ha per year with a 20- 30 percent recovery in the tops (Lloyd, 1970).Compatibility with other grasses and legumes It will combine well with lucerne (Medicago saliva). It is cross-pollinated, with some lines being incompatible (Hutchinson & Bashaw, 1964).Seed production and harvesting P. coloratum ripens over a long period, from the top to the bottom of the seed-head, hence seed harvesting should be by repeated beater or stripper harvesting rather than direct heading (Roe, 1972). It is desirable to have a mixture of lines to ensure good seed setting (Humphreys, 1975). Harvest when one-third of the seed has shattered. It is used increasingly for leys in Africa and Australia. On the Darling Downs black clay soils of south-east Queensland, grazing P. coloratum var. makarikariense cultivars at 7.5 sheep per hectare produced more than 15.5 kg wool per hectare and live-weight gains averaged 29 percent.Grass genera of the world: Information about botany, ecology etc. of the panicum genus; links to photographs of different species Lloyd, 1970, 1971; Lloyd & Scateni, 1968. The seed shows initial dormancy. The seed requires a ripening period of six months after harvest. Cultivar Pollock, because of its large crown development, is useful in erosion control. Sown on terraces at Machakos, Kenya, P. coloratum var. makarikariense did not prevent erosion (Thomas, 1975). It is one of the better grasses to vegetate somewhat saline areas. |