''Echinochloa'' is a very widespread

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...

of plants in the

grass family Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos and the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in lawns and ...

and tribe

Paniceae 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. ...

. Some of the species are known by the common names barnyard grass or cockspur grass. Some of the species within this genus are

millet Millets () are a highly varied group of small-seeded grasses, widely grown around the world as cereal crops or grains for fodder and human food. Most species generally referred to as millets belong to the tribe Paniceae, but some millets ...

s that are grown as

cereal A cereal is any grass cultivated for the edible components of its grain (botanically, a type of fruit called a caryopsis), composed of the endosperm, germ, and bran. Cereal grain crops are grown in greater quantities and provide more foo ...

fodder Fodder (), also called provender (), is any agricultural foodstuff used specifically to feed domesticated livestock, such as cattle, rabbits, sheep, horses, chickens and pigs. "Fodder" refers particularly to food given to the animals (including ...

crops. The most notable of these are Japanese millet (''E. esculenta'') in

East Asia East Asia is the eastern region of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The modern states of East Asia include China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan. China, North Korea, South Korea ...

, Indian barnyard millet (''E. frumentacea'') in

South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.;;;;; ...

, and burgu millet (''E. stagnina'') in

West Africa West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Mau ...

. Collectively, the members of this genus are called barnyard grasses (though this may also refer to '' E. crus-galli'' specifically), and are also known as barnyard millets or billion-dollar grasses. When not grown on purpose, these grasses may become a nuisance to farmers. In particular, common barnyard grass (''E. crus-galli'') is notorious as a weed. It is not easily suppressed with

living mulch In agriculture, a living mulch is a cover crop interplanted or undersown with a main crop, and intended to serve the purposes of a mulch, such as weed suppression and regulation of soil temperature. Living mulches grow for a long time with ...

es such as velvet bean (''Mucuna pruriens'' var. ''utilis''). Early barnyard grass (''E. oryzoides'') is a well-known example of

Vavilovian mimicry In plant biology, Vavilovian mimicry (also crop mimicry or weed mimicry) is a form of mimicry in plants where a weed evolves to share one or more characteristics with a domesticated plant through generations of artificial selection. It is name ...

: the plants have

evolved Evolution is change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. These characteristics are the expressions of genes, which are passed on from parent to offspring during reproduction. Variation te ...

to resemble

rice Rice is the seed of the grass species '' Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly '' Oryza glaberrima'' (African rice). The name wild rice is usually used for species of the genera '' Zizania'' and ''Porteresia'', both wild and domestica ...

(''Oryza''), enabling them to escape

weeding Weed control is a type of pest control, which attempts to stop or reduce growth of weeds, especially noxious weeds, with the aim of reducing their competition with desired flora and fauna including domesticated plants and livestock, and in natur ...

more easily. Among the

plant pathogen Plant pathology (also phytopathology) is the scientific study of diseases in plants caused by pathogens (infectious organisms) and environmental conditions (physiological factors). Organisms that cause infectious disease include fungi, oomy ...

s that affect this genus are the

sac fungus Ascomycota is a phylum of the kingdom Fungi that, together with the Basidiomycota, forms the subkingdom Dikarya. Its members are commonly known as the sac fungi or ascomycetes. It is the largest phylum of Fungi, with over 64,000 species. The defi ...

Cochliobolus sativus The fungus ''Cochliobolus sativus'' is the teleomorph (sexual stage) of ''Bipolaris sorokiniana'' (anamorph) which is the causal agent of a wide variety of cereal diseases. The pathogen can infect and cause disease on roots (where it is known as ...

'', which has been noted on common barnyard grass, and

rice hoja blanca virus ''Rice hoja blanca tenuivirus'' (RHBV), meaning "white leaf rice virus", is a plant virus in the family ''Phenuiviridae.'' RHBV causes Hoja blanca disease (HBD), which affects the leaves of the rice plant ''Oryza sativa'', stunting the growth of th ...

. Both affect many other grass species, in particular most important cereals, and ''Echinochloa'' weeds may serve as a

reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including control ...

. The fungi '' Drechslera monoceras'' and ''

Exserohilum monoceras ''Exserohilum'' is a genus of fungi in the family Pleosporaceae. The ''Exserohilum'' species are known for causing blight and human immune system diseases. The sexual reproductive (or ascigerous) states of Exserohilum species are known as Setos ...

'' have been evaluated with some success as potential

biocontrol Biological control or biocontrol is a method of controlling pests, such as insects, mites, weeds, and plant diseases, using other organisms. It relies on predation, parasitism, herbivory, or other natural mechanisms, but typically also i ...

agents of common barnyard grass in rice fields. More research is necessary, however, because they may not be host-specific enough to be of practical use. Insect pests include '' Atherigona falcata'', the barnyard millet shoot fly.

Species

; SpeciesGould, F. W., M. A. Ali & D. E. Fairbrothers. 1972. A revision of ''Echinochloa'' in the United States. American Midland Naturalist 87(1): 36–59 Echinochloa colona (Jungle Rice) W2 IMG 0528

Echinochloa colona (Jungle Rice) W2 IMG 0528

; Formerly included see ''

Acroceras ''Acroceras'' is a genus of tropical and subtropical plants in the grass family. The genus is widespread across warmer parts of Asia, Africa, and the Americas, with a high amount of diversity in Madagascar.Ahmed, Z.U. (ed.) (2008). Encyclopedia ...

Axonopus ''Axonopus'' is a genus of plants in the grass family, known generally as carpet grass. They are native primarily to the tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are ...

Brachiaria ''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.Oplismenopsis

Oplismenus ''Oplismenus'' is a small genus of annual or perennial grasses, commonly known as basketgrass, found throughout the tropics, subtropics, and in some cases, temperate regions of the Americas, Africa, Asia, and Australia. The systematics of the ge ...

Panicum ''Panicum'' (panicgrass) is a large genus of about 450 species of 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, grow ...

Paspalidium ''Paspalidium'' (watercrown grass) is a genus of tropical and subtropical plants in the grass family. ''Paspalidium'' includes about 40 species native to tropical and subtropical regions of Asia, Africa, Australia, and the Americas.Allen, C. M'' ...

Pseudechinolaena ''Pseudechinolaena'' is a genus of tropical and subtropical plants in the grass family, all but one species endemic to Madagascar. ; Species * '' Pseudechinolaena camusiana'' Bosser - Madagascar * '' Pseudechinolaena madagascariensis'' (A.Camus) ...

Setaria ''Setaria'' is a widespread genus of plants in the grass family. The name is derived from the Latin word ''seta'', meaning "bristle" or "hair", which refers to the bristly spikelets. The genus includes over 100 species distributed in many tr ...

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

References

External links

Plants for a Future: ''E. crus-galli''.

* ttp://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/afcm/millet.html ''Alternative Field Crops Manual'': Millets. {{Taxonbar, from=Q163965 Millets Grasses of Asia Grasses of North America Grasses of South America Poaceae genera Taxa named by Palisot de Beauvois