Botanical Name : Pennisetum pedicellatum Trin.
Family : Poaceae (alt. Gramineae)
Subfamily : Panicoideae
Tribe : Paniceae
Introduction
It is distributed in tropical Africa, south Africa, Asia (India, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand), Australia, Fiji, United States. Its habitat is drier sites, savannahs and woodland margins, a weed in croplands, grasslands, waste places.
Botanical Description
Pennisetum pedicellatum is an erect or geniculate annual or perennial grass up to 150 cm tall. P. pedicellatum belongs to a unique section of the genus with a trilobed sterile lemma, spikelet’s are in clusters of 1–3 in the involucre. Lower glume length is at least 50% of spikelet. The spikelet cluster is subtended by involucre of 15–25 unfused bristles; bristles antrorsely barbed and plumose, 5–30 mm long, with one conspicuously longer bristle, surrounded by outer ring of shorter smooth bristles. Spikelet cluster is of 1 sessile and usually at least 1 pedicellate spikelet. Spikelets contain 1 fertile floret and 1 basal sterile floret. Spikelet’s lanceolate, slightly dorsally compressed, 3.4–6 mm long, 0.6–1 mm wide. Glumes hyaline to membranous; lower glume reduced, upper glume and sterile lemma as long as spikelet; sterile lemma trilobed. Fertile floret lanceolate, 2–3 mm long, 0.6–1 mm wide; fertile lemma and palea coriaceous, glossy, translucent, fertile lemma 5-nerved. Caryopsis lanceolate, dorsally compressed, 0.5–2.5 mm long.
Cultivation Practices
After clearing the bushes, the land is prepared by two operations of ploughing. At the onset of monsoon, the sowing can be done in lines or broadcasted using 4–5 kg/ha seeds. Before sowing a mixture of soil and seed should be prepared. The sowing can also be done by raising of nursery and six weeks later transplanting seedlings at 50 cm distance row-to row and plant-to-plant. About 33000 seedlings are required for one ha. During the field preparation 5 t/ha FYM and 30 Kg N, 30 Kg P2O5/ha should be applied as basal dose. After establishment of grass, top dressing with 30 kg N is done. In subsequent years 30 Kg N, 30 Kg P2O5 should be applied after start of rains.