Family: Poaceae
Common names: Kikuyugrass, Kikuyo
Kikuyugrass is a creeping perennial grass belonging to the Panicoideae sub-family. The runners commonly produce upright shoots rising to 10-60 cm. Leaf blades alternate, softly hairy and narrow, 8-15 mm wide and 25 cm long. The spikelets consist of only 3-4 florets enclosed and half hidden by the leaf-sheath, hence the name clandestinum. The fruit is a dark caryopsis, 2.8 by 1.5 mm size, having only one seed.
It reproduces by seed production and vegetatively through its rhizomes and runners. The seeds of the plant can remain viable in soil for more than 10 years. Rhizomes and runners produce fibrous roots from their nodes, creating dense mats. The rhizomes can penetrate the soil to a depth of 20-30 cm
It is used as a fodder crop and also for preventing soil erosion. Notwithstanding its usefulness this perennial grass thrives in many crop areas, becoming a difficult to control weed.
It is a common plant in highland. It tolerates well cool temperatures. The noxious effects of the weed show up rapidly, particularly in lucerne, cereals and grasslands, where the soil is not disturbed after sowing. In the Andean zone lucerne fields can be completely devastated in 2-3 years after the development of kikuyugrass. The plant originated from highland pasture land of East Africa and was introduced as a fodder crop into several high-altitude tropical and subtropical zones within the last century, mainly in countries located within 35oC north or south of the equator.
Outside Africa, this plant is now widespread in Asia, Oceania and Latin America, particularly in India, Sri Lanka, Hawaii, Australia, New Zealand and countries of the Andean zone. It has been identified as a constraint to the production of 14 crops in 36 countries. Kikuyugrass also thrives along irrigation canals, roads, railways and industrial areas, causing considerable problems.
Kikuyugrass is an aggressive plant and the main concern is to prevent its further spread into non-infested crop areas. Crop seed should be free of kikuyugrass seeds. Cattle already grazed in infested areas should be kept away from non-infested areas for at least 10 days. It is also advisable not to apply cattle manure from infested areas onto those weed-free.