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Echinochloa frumentacea (Roxb.) Link |
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Graminae Echinochloa colonum var. frumentacea Ridley. White panicum, Siberian millet (Australia). A stout annual, 90-150 cm high, leaf-blades flat, wide, ligules absent. Panicle 10-25 cm long with dense racemes of awnless 3-4 mm long spikelets (Napper, 1965). The seed is 2-3 mm long and 1.5-2 mm wide. It differs from Echinochloa crus-galli mainly in having glabrous, awnless spikelets and heavier, thicker, more compact racemes (Barnard, 1969). Occurs widely in the tropics. Is cultivated in tropical Asia, Africa, Australia and the western United States and Canada as a fodder grass and cereal. Summer. Sea-level to 1 500 m. The millets have a lower rainfall requirement than the sorghums. They are usually grown in an annual rainfall regime of 500-750 mm with a summer dominance. They are more drought tolerant than maize, and because of their early maturity they often escape droughts. Scattered seed will usually germinate, but it is generally sown as a crop on prepared land.Land preparation for establishment A well-prepared, firm seed-bed is preferable, but in early development a rough seed-bed will usually provide enough crop for grazing. Drilling the seed into a well-prepared seed-bed is usual, but the seed can be broadcast and harrowed in. As millet seed is small, it should be sown no deeper than 2.5 cm and rolled to compact the soil around the seed. Sow in spring to late summer, depending on frost incidence, at 8 kg/ha drilled and 10 kg/ha broadcast. 367 000 (Siberian millet).Seed treatment before planting If seed-harvesting ants are troublesome, treat the seed with lindane before planting. To control weeds in grain crops, spray with MCPA (2-methyl 4-chlorophenoxy-acetic acid) at 1.3 kg acid equivalent per hectare at tillering stage, before heads start to form in the sheath. Good.Vigour of growth and growth rhythm It grows vigorously in a semi-prostrate habit, flowers in 62 days and matures in 120 days. If grazed quickly, a number of regrowths in a season can be utilized, depending on rainfall and soil fertility. Graze heavily and then cease until the regrowth is ready to graze again.Dry-matter and green-matter yields Yields of up to 35 000 kg/ha of green material can be obtained.Suitability for hay and silage While white panicum has coarser stems than other short millets and takes longer to cure for hay, it makes quite good hay and silage, especially if combined with cowpea. For hay the millet is cut in the early heading stage and for silage when the grain is at the firm dough stage. No official cultivars are recognized, though in Queensland two varieties of E. frumentacea are sown: white panicum and Siberian millet. Covered smut of the seed-heads is caused by Ustilago tricophora and is controlled by treating the seed before planting with thiram. A quick-growing crop which seeds heavily, is very palatable in the young stage, makes good hay and fits into gaps in the feed year. Its annual nature.Optimum temperature for growth 25-30°C. It does not tolerate frosts. Fairly good when established.Maximum germination and quality required for sale 75 percent germinable seed and 97.3 percent purity in Queensland, Australia. No major pests affect the plants except periodical invasion by grasshoppers. Although the stems of white panicum are fairly coarse, the grass is extremely palatable. Flowering is accelerated by short days (Evans Wardlaw & Williams, 1964).Chemical analysis and digestibility No figures have been found. In cultivations and naturalized in wet grassland. A basic treatment of a complete fertilizer may be required if soil tests reveal this. Excess nitrogen may cause the crop to lodge, but this is not very important where the crop is grazed. Application of 55-70 kg N/ha may be desirable for grazing crops.Compatibility with other grasses and legumes It grows well with other grasses, but is usually combined with an annual legume such as cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) for grazing, hay and silage, sown at the rate of 6-8 kg/ha of millet and 11-12 kg/ha of cowpea. 2n=36, 54, 56 (Fedorov, 1974).Seed production and harvesting White panicum seed quite heavily. It can be harvested by combines using a small seed box. The seed should be dried thoroughly, as it will heat in storage if too moist. Store below 13 percent moisture. A widely used forage and hay crop throughout the developed tropical countries. No figures for animal performance have been found, but it is used a good deal for dairy-herd grazing in coastal south-east Queensland.Grass genera of the world: Information about botany, ecology etc. of the Eriochloa genus; links to photographs and drawings Douglas, 1970. For germination tests seed is pre-dried at 40°C for seven days. The millets are frequently used for temporary control of erosion in newly cleared and ploughed sandy soils because they grow rapidly and seed is cheap. |