Brachiaria

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signalgrass
Starr 011031-9001 Urochloa plantaginea.jpg
Brachiaria plantaginea
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Plantae
(unranked):
Angiosperms
(unranked):
Monocots
(unranked):
Commelinids
Order:
Poales
Family:
Poaceae
Genus:
Brachiaria

(Trin.) Griseb., 1853
Type species
Brachiaria eruciformis
Synonyms [2] [3]
  • Panicum sect. BrachiariaTrin.
  • Panicum subg. Brachiaria(Trin.) Honda
  • Pseudobrachiaria Launert

Brachiaria, or signalgrass, is a genus of plants in the grass family native to tropical and subtropical regions of Asia, Africa, Australia, southern Europe, the Americas, and various islands. [4] There are over 100 species. [4] [5] [6]

Some species are cultivated as forage. Some species of Brachiaria were probably first introduced unintentionally to the Americas in the colonial period, from slave ships. B. decumbens was introduced to Brazil in 1952 and B. ruziziensis in the 1960s. Brachiaria is the most widely used tropical grass in Central and South America, with about 40 million hectares planted in Brazil alone. [7]

Biology

This genus was described in 1853. It is similar to Panicum , and some authors believe Panicum is ancestral to it. [7] It has also been confused with Urochloa , [8] and sometimes combined with it. [4] A recent phylogenetic analysis concluded that Brachiaria and Urochloa are a monophyletic group, along with Eriochloa and Melinis , and that further molecular and morphological work is needed to establish clear relationships. [8] In the meantime, Brachiaria and Urochloa plants are usually not difficult to distinguish from one another. [4]

Brachiaria are annual or perennial grasses, most lacking rhizomes. The inflorescence is a branching panicle, and the plant reaches about a meter in height. [9] The plants are bisexual [9] and the flowers are fleshy, with 3 anthers. [10] Some species have a prominent vein in the center of the leaf. [9] Brachiaria are C4 species and can tolerate drier conditions and more light exposure than some other plants. [9]

Ecology and conservation

Cultivated Brachiaria Brachiaria3.jpg
Cultivated Brachiaria

Brachiaria can grow in many environments, from swamps to shady forest to semidesert, but generally do best in savannas and other open tropical ecosystems such as in East Africa. [8] In Angola, B. brizantha grows on termite mounds and in the ecotone between grassland and woodland habitat. [11] In the Kora National Reserve in Kenya, Brachiaria dominates the ground layer along with Aristida . [12] In India, the native B. ramosa is an important food source for the Eurasian collared dove (Streptopelia decaocto) and Brachiaria species are forage for other local herbivores. [13]

In North America, the native B. platyphylla, broadleaf signalgrass, grows after heavy rains and then reproduces prodigiously and quickly, sometimes becoming a weed. [14]

Wide expanses of the tropics, especially the Neotropics, have been converted to Brachiaria pasture to support livestock. In Brazil, 80 million hectares of native habitat have been planted with African grasses, mostly Brachiaria. [15]

Introduced species such as Brachiaria grasses can degrade habitat and compete with native species. In Northern Australia, the exotic B. decumbens competes with the native tree Alphitonia petriei by inhibiting the growth of seedlings, slowing the conversion of abandoned pastureland to natural forest. [16] In the Paragominas area of Brazil, however, native forest outcompetes cultivated stands of Brachiaria and other exotic forage grasses, and ranchers struggle to maintain pasture cover. [17] Native species may also utilize exotic Brachiaria as a food resource, such as the rock cavy (Kerodon rupestris), a native rodent of the caatinga. [18]

Cultivation

Brachiaria cultivation in Colombia Brachiaria field in colombia.jpg
Brachiaria cultivation in Colombia

Brachiaria is the single most important genus of forage grass for pastures in the tropics. [18] Brachiaria cultivars can grow in infertile and acidic soils. [18] Brazil is the leading user and producer of Brachiaria seeds in the Americas. [18]

Mexico has put effort into improving its trade in Brachiaria cultivars, and the grass is thought to have made a positive impact on its milk and beef industries. [19] Central American countries have also increased seed sales and area planted in the grass. [19] The annual growth rate of seed sales in 2009 was 32% in Mexico, 62% in Honduras, 45% in Nicaragua, 39% in Costa Rica, and 54% in Panama. The area planted with Brachiaria during this period was about 6.5% of the total surface of permanent grasses in Mexico, 12.5% in Honduras, 1% in Nicaragua, 18.7% in Costa Rica, and 0.1% in Panama. [19]

Agricultural pests of Brachiaria include spittlebugs, [20] leafcutter ants, and mound-building termites. [10]

Other insect pests include: [21]

Diversity

Species [2] [22]
Formerly included [2]

See Acroceras, Echinochloa, Eriochloa, Panicum, Paspalum, Urochloa .

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forage</span> Plant material eaten by grazing livestock

Forage is a plant material eaten by grazing livestock. Historically, the term forage has meant only plants eaten by the animals directly as pasture, crop residue, or immature cereal crops, but it is also used more loosely to include similar plants cut for fodder and carried to the animals, especially as hay or silage.

<i>Panicum</i> Genus of grasses

Panicum (panicgrass) is a large genus of about 450 species of Poaceae grasses native throughout the tropical regions of the world, with a few species extending into the northern temperate zone. They are often large, annual or perennial grasses, growing to 1–3 m (3–10 ft) tall.

<i>Echinochloa</i> Genus of flowering plants in the grass family

Echinochloa is a very widespread genus of plants in the grass family and tribe Paniceae. Some of the species are known by the common names barnyard grass or cockspur grass.

<i>Echinochloa crus-galli</i> Species of plant

Echinochloa crus-galli is a type of wild grass originating from tropical Asia that was formerly classified as a type of panicum grass. It is commonly known as cockspur, barnyard millet, Japanese millet, water grass, common barnyard grass, or simply "barnyard grass". This plant can grow to 60" in height and has long, flat leaves which are often purplish at the base. Most stems are upright, but some will spread out over the ground. Stems are flattened at the base. The seed heads are a distinctive feature, often purplish, with large millet-like seeds in crowded spikelets.

<i>Axonopus compressus</i> Species of plant

Axonopus compressus is a species of grass. It is often used as a permanent pasture, groundcover, and turf in moist, low fertility soils, particularly in shaded situations. It is generally too low-growing to be useful in cut-and-carry systems or for fodder conservation.

<i>Arachis glabrata</i> Species of legume

Arachis glabrata is a high-quality forage plant native to Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay vegetation. This plant is also used for soil conservation and as an ornamental plant.

<i>Eriochloa</i> Genus of grasses

Eriochloa is a widespread genus of plants in the grass family, commonly called cupgrass. They are found across much of Africa, Asia, Australia, and the Americas, plus a few places in European Russia.

<i>Urochloa</i> Genus of grasses

Urochloa is a genus of plants in the grass family, native to Eurasia, Africa, Australia, Mexico, and the Pacific Islands. Common names include signalgrass.

<i>Milium</i> (plant) Genus of grasses

Milium is a genus of Eurasian, North American, and North African plants in the grass family.

<i>Megathyrsus maximus</i> Species of plant

Megathyrsus maximus, known as Guinea grass and green panic grass, is a large perennial bunch grass that is native to Africa and Yemen. It has been introduced in the tropics around the world. It has previously been called Urochloa maxima and Panicum maximum. It was moved to the genus Megathyrsus in 2003.

Bela "Bert" Grof was a Hungarian-born Australian agricultural researcher with contributions to grassland and forage research in the tropics.

<i>Urochloa brizantha</i> Species of plant

Urochloa brizantha is a species of grass known by the common name palisade grass. It is often used as a forage for livestock.

Brachiaria ruziziensis or Congo grass is a forage crop that is grown throughout the humid tropics. With fast growth at the beginning of the wet season due to strong seedling vigour, ease of establishment, good seed production and yield and the ability to suppress weeds it has the ability to become developed into the most important forage crop planted in the tropics. With the aid of genomic tools to research the genotype and gain more information there is the ability to increase breeding programs which are currently rather limited.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paniceae</span> Tribe of grasses

Paniceae is a large tribe of the subfamily Panicoideae in the grasses (Poaceae), the only in the monotypic supertribe Panicodae. It includes roughly 1,500 species in 84 genera, primarily found in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Paniceae includes species using either of the C4 and C3 photosynthetic pathways, as well as presumably intermediate species. Most of the millets are members of tribe Paniceae.

<i>Brachiaria mutica</i> Species of plant

Brachiaria mutica is a species of grass known by the common names para grass, buffalo grass, Mauritius signal grass, pasto pare, malojilla, gramalote, parana, Carib grass, and Scotch grass. Despite its common name California grass, it does not occur in California; it is native to northern and central Africa and parts of the Middle East, where it is cultivated for fodder. It was introduced elsewhere and it is now cultivated throughout tropical regions of the world for this purpose.

<i>Atherigona</i> Genus of flies

Atherigona is a genus of flies in the family Muscidae.

<i>Urochloa ramosa</i> Species of grass

Urochloa ramosa, the browntop millet or Dixie signalgrass, is an annual, millet grass belonging to the grass family (Poaceae). The native range of Urochloa ramosa is from Africa to tropical and subtropical Asia.

References

  1. ↑ Grisebach, August Heinrich Rudolf. 1853. In C.F.von Ledebour (editor), Flora Rossica; sive, Enumeratio plantarum in totius Imperii Rossici provinciis Europaeis, Asiaticis et Americanis hucusque observatarum 4(14): 469 in Latin
  2. 1 2 3 Tropicos, Brachiaria (Trin.) Griseb.
  3. ↑ Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
  4. 1 2 3 4 Flora of China Vol. 22 Page 520 臂形草属 bi xing cao shu Brachiaria (Trinius) Grisebach, Ledebour, Fl. Ross. 4: 469. 1853. Flora of China.
  5. ↑ Utsunomiya, KS; Pagliarini, MS; Do Valle, CB (2005). "Microsporogenesis in tetraploid accessions of Brachiaria nigropedata (Ficalho & Hiern) Stapf (Gramineae)". Biocell. 29 (3): 295–301. doi: 10.32604/biocell.2005.29.295 . PMID   16524251.
  6. ↑ Mendes-Bonato, AB; Risso-Pascotto, C; Pagliarini, MS; Valle, CB (2006). "Chromosome number and meiotic behaviour in Brachiaria jubata (Gramineae)" (PDF). Journal of Genetics. 85 (1): 83–7. doi:10.1007/BF02728976. PMID   16809846. S2CID   13416450.
  7. 1 2 Kumble, Vrinda (1996). Brachiaria: Biology, Agronomy, and Improvement. CIAT.
  8. 1 2 3 Torres González, A.M.; Morton, C.M. (2005). "Molecular and morphological phylogenetic analysis of Brachiaria and Urochloa (Poaceae)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 37 (1): 36–44. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2005.06.003. PMID   16039145.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Watson, L. and M. J. Dallwitz. (2008). Brachiaria. Archived January 15, 2013, at the Wayback Machine The Grass Genera of the World. Retrieved 7 November 2011.
  10. 1 2 Clayton, W. D., et al. (2002 onwards). Brachiaria. GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora.
  11. ↑ Estes, R. D. and R. K. Estes. (1974). The biology and conservation of the giant sable antelope, Hippotragus niger variani Thomas, 1916. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 126, 73-104.
  12. ↑ Alibhai, S. K.; Key, G. (2009). "A preliminary investigation of small mammal biology in the Kora National Reserve, Kenya". Journal of Tropical Ecology. 1 (4): 321–7. doi:10.1017/S0266467400000407. JSTOR   2559449. S2CID   86618426.
  13. ↑ Rana, B. D. (1975). "Breeding Biology of the Indian Ring Dove in the Rajasthan Desert". The Auk. 92 (2): 322–32. doi: 10.2307/4084560 . JSTOR   4084560.
  14. ↑ Burke, Ian C.; Thomas, Walter E.; Spears, Janet F.; Wilcut, John W. (2003). "Influence of environmental factors on broadleaf signalgrass (Brachiaria platyphylla) germination". Weed Science. 51 (5): 683–9. doi:10.1614/0043-1745(2003)051[0683:IOEFOB]2.0.CO;2. JSTOR   4046547. S2CID   83551440.
  15. ↑ Boddey, R.M.; MacEdo, R.; Tarré, R.M.; Ferreira, E.; De Oliveira, O.C.; De p. Rezende, C.; Cantarutti, R.B.; Pereira, J.M.; Alves, B.J.R.; Urquiaga, S. (2004). "Nitrogen cycling in Brachiaria pastures: The key to understanding the process of pasture decline". Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment. 103 (2): 389–403. Bibcode:2004AgEE..103..389B. doi:10.1016/j.agee.2003.12.010.
  16. ↑ Sun, Dan; Dickson, Geoff R. (1996). "The Competition Effect of Brachiaria decumbens on the Early Growth of Direct-Seeded Trees of Alphitonia petriei in Tropical North Australia". Biotropica. 28 (2): 272–6. Bibcode:1996Biotr..28..272S. doi:10.2307/2389082. JSTOR   2389082.
  17. ↑ Nepstad, D. C.; Uhl, C.; Serrao, E.A.S. (1991). "Recuperation of a degraded Amazonian landscape: Forest recovery and agricultural restoration". Ambio. 20 (6): 248–55.
  18. 1 2 3 4 Singh, R. J. (ed.). "Forage Crops". Genetic Resources, Chromosome Engineering, and Crop Improvement. Florida: CRC Press. p. 209.
  19. 1 2 3 Holmann, F., et al. (2004). Impact of the adoption of Brachiaria grasses: Central America and Mexico. Livestock Research for Rural Development 16, Art. #98.
  20. ↑ McGregor, John T.; Smith, Roy J.; Talbert, Ronald E. (1988). "Broadleaf Signalgrass (Brachiaria platyphylla) Duration of Interference in Rice (Oryza sativa)". Weed Science. 36 (6): 747–50. doi:10.1017/S0043174500075767. JSTOR   4044781. S2CID   182717787.
  21. ↑ Kalaisekar, A (2017). Insect pests of millets: systematics, bionomics, and management. London: Elsevier. ISBN   978-0-12-804243-4. OCLC   967265246.
  22. ↑ The Plant List search for Brachiaria
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