''Digitaria eriantha'', commonly known as digitgrass or Pangola-grass, is a grass grown in tropical and subtropical climates. It grows relatively well in various soils, but grows especially well in moist soils. It is tolerant to droughts, water lodging, suppresses weeds and grows relatively quickly after grazing. This grass demonstrates great potential for farmers in Africa in subtropical and tropical climates, mostly for livestock feed.

Description

''Digitaria eriantha'' is a

monocot Monocotyledons (), commonly referred to as monocots, (Lilianae ''sensu'' Chase & Reveal) are flowering plants whose seeds contain only one Embryo#Plant embryos, embryonic leaf, or cotyledon. A monocot taxon has been in use for several decades, but ...

and in the family of

Poaceae Poaceae ( ), also called Gramineae ( ), is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos, the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivate ...

. "It is

perennial In horticulture, the term perennial ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. It has thus been defined as a plant that lives more than 2 years. The term is also ...

, sometimes

stolon In biology, a stolon ( from Latin ''wikt:stolo, stolō'', genitive ''stolōnis'' – "branch"), also known as a runner, is a horizontal connection between parts of an organism. It may be part of the organism, or of its skeleton. Typically, animal ...

iferous or tufted". This grass grows a dense tussock with extended

s, which are covered with hairs or without hairs. Each grass, erect or ascending, reaches between 35 and 180 cm tall. The lowest basal leaf sheaths are densely hairy, or very rarely smooth. The leaf blades are typically 5–60 cm long, 2–14 mm wide and may be either hairy or smooth. Each inflorescence typically has six or seven spicate branches, each of which carries numerous florets. These spikelets are usually 2–4 mm long, where the lower

glume In botany, a glume is a bract (leaf-like structure) below a spikelet in the inflorescence (flower cluster) of grass Poaceae ( ), also called Gramineae ( ), is a large and nearly ubiquitous family (biology), family of monocotyledonous flow ...

is as long as the spikelet and the upper glumes are where the lemma is situated (covered with 1 mm long hairs).

History, geography and ethnography

Digit grass is native to

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

, in countries such as

Angola Angola, officially the Republic of Angola, is a country on the west-Central Africa, central coast of Southern Africa. It is the second-largest Portuguese-speaking world, Portuguese-speaking (Lusophone) country in both total area and List of c ...

Botswana Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory part of the Kalahari Desert. It is bordered by South Africa to the sou ...

Mozambique Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique, is a country located in Southeast Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west, and Eswatini and South Afr ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

Zimbabwe file:Zimbabwe, relief map.jpg, upright=1.22, Zimbabwe, relief map Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Bots ...

Namibia Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country on the west coast of Southern Africa. Its borders include the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south; in the no ...

and

Eswatini Eswatini, formally the Kingdom of Eswatini, also known by its former official names Swaziland and the Kingdom of Swaziland, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. It is bordered by South Africa on all sides except the northeast, where i ...

. It is also cultivated in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

and

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

. Today, it is distributed in many humid subtropical and tropical areas. There are many others names for ''D. eriantha'', such as common finger grass, digit grass, pangola grass, woolly finger grass (English), digitaria (French), pangolagras (German) and pangola, pasto pangola (Spanish).

Growing conditions

The seeds require a clean

seedbed A seedbed or seedling bed is the local soil environment in which seeds are planted. Often, it comprises not only the soil but also a specially prepared cold frame, hotbed or raised bed used to grow the seedlings in a controlled environment in ...

for establishment and all seed needs to be evenly distributed when sowing in order to reduce competition in their early stages. Digit grass can grow in a variety of soils, ranging from sands to heavy clay. However, seeds are better adapted to sandy loam soils compared to heavier soils because seedling establishment is easier. Once established, seedling can grow vigorously on clay soils. Digit grass has low to moderate salt/alkalinity tolerance and moderate tolerance of aluminum. This grass thrives in warm, moist environments where it will generally grow very quickly. The ideal rainfall requirement is estimated to be 450 mm and for seeds about 750 mm. Weeds are typically suppressed. Digit grass responds well to

nitrogen Nitrogen is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol N and atomic number 7. Nitrogen is a Nonmetal (chemistry), nonmetal and the lightest member of pnictogen, group 15 of the periodic table, often called the Pnictogen, pnictogens. ...

and will persist on infertile soils but yields will be low. The estimated appropriate

soil pH Soil pH is a measure of the acidity or basicity (alkalinity) of a soil. Soil pH is a key characteristic that can be used to make informative analysis both qualitative and quantitatively regarding soil characteristics. pH is defined as the neg ...

is >4.2. The ideal condition for the digit grass is full sun and well-drained moist soils. The sufficient amount of nitrogen fertilizer is estimated at between 100 and 300 kg/ha N. This amount should be applied at different times, rather than a single application at the start of the season. It is also important to monitor levels of phosphorus and other

nutrients A nutrient is a substance used by an organism to survive, grow and reproduce. The requirement for dietary nutrient intake applies to animals, plants, fungi and protists. Nutrients can be incorporated into cells for metabolic purposes or excret ...

throughout the entire growing season.

Farming issues

''Digitaria eriantha'' is sensitive to

photoperiod Photoperiod is the change of day length around the seasons. The rotation of the earth around its axis produces 24 hour changes in light (day) and dark (night) cycles on earth. The length of the light and dark in each phase varies across the season ...

and therefore requires ample sunshine for fast growth. Most types have low shade tolerance. The

productivity Productivity is the efficiency of production of goods or services expressed by some measure. Measurements of productivity are often expressed as a ratio of an aggregate output to a single input or an aggregate input used in a production proce ...

of digit grass is higher in the warmer compared to the cool seasons.Heuzé V., Tran G., Archimède H., 2015. Pangola grass (Digitaria eriantha). Feedipedia, a programme by INRA, CIRAD, AFZ and FAO. https://www.feedipedia.org/node/461 Last updated on May 11, 2015, 14:30 In the warm season, digit grass can withstand high trampling, high stocking density and 30 day rotations. In the cool season, a 60-day rotation is recommended for high production. As it grows fairly quickly with sufficient sunshine, it ideally needs to be grazed every 2–3 weeks. The crop offers great potential to poor farmers due to its potential for fairly high yield, and the low labour required to sustain production and

pasture Pasture (from the Latin ''pastus'', past participle of ''pascere'', "to feed") is land used for grazing. Types of pasture Pasture lands in the narrow sense are enclosed tracts of farmland, grazed by domesticated livestock, such as horses, c ...

health.

Stress tolerance

''Digitaria eriantha'' has moderate to high

drought tolerance In botany, drought tolerance is the ability by which a plant maintains its biomass production during arid or drought conditions. Some plants are naturally adapted to dry conditions'','' surviving with protection mechanisms such as desiccation tole ...

, which demonstrates great potential for those who live in arid or semi-arid climates, such as Sub-Saharan Africa. Though it is fairly tolerant to low rainfall, it restricts production and yield. Digit grass is also quite tolerant of flooding and waterlogging. Therefore, digit grass also shows great promise in subtropical and tropical areas where rainfall is heavier and in short burst. Furthermore, it is considered to have low shade tolerance. Some genotypes have become more tolerant than others, more specifically ''D. setivalva'' in

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

is rated medium for

shade tolerance In ecology, shade tolerance is a plant's ability to tolerate low light levels. The term is also used in horticulture and landscaping, although in this context its use is sometimes imprecise, especially in labeling of plants for sale in nursery (ho ...

. In sunny climates, like Sub-Saharan Africa, ''D. eriantha'' would grow well due to heavy sunlight and low shade. Digit grass generally is also frost sensitive, where many genotypes show differences in frost tolerance. Frost affects the grasses ability to regrow after frosting.

Major weeds, pests and diseases

''Digitaria eriantha'' is susceptible to the

rust Rust is an iron oxide, a usually reddish-brown oxide formed by the reaction of iron and oxygen in the catalytic presence of water or air moisture. Rust consists of hydrous iron(III) oxides (Fe2O3·nH2O) and iron(III) oxide-hydroxide (FeO(OH) ...

''Puccinia oahuensis'' which is a widespread disease found in the Americas and Australia. This varies among

genotype The genotype of an organism is its complete set of genetic material. Genotype can also be used to refer to the alleles or variants an individual carries in a particular gene or genetic location. The number of alleles an individual can have in a ...

s. Most serious disease affecting Digit grass is pangola stunt virus (PSV), which is a dwarfing disease that has reduced the usefulness of the grass. There have been some genotypes that have demonstrated some resistance to this disease. Digit grass is attacked by white-backed planthopper ('' Sogatella furcifera'') or '' S. kolophon''. Symptoms of an infected grass are: "stunting, yellowing, reddening, twisting of leaves, swelling of small veins, and excessive tillering". Other insects and pests affecting ''D. eriantha'' are as follows: spittlebugs ('' Tomaspis spp.''), Rhodes grass mealy bug (''

Antonina graminis ''Antonina graminis'' or Rhodes grass scale is a species of mealybug Mealybugs are insects in the family Pseudococcidae, unarmored scale insects found in moist, warm habitats. Of the more than 2,000 described species, many are considered pest ...

''), chinch bug (''

Blissus leucopterus ''Blissus leucopterus'', also known as the true chinch bug, is a small North American insect in the order Hemiptera and family Blissidae. It is the most commonly encountered species of the genus '' Blissus'', which are all known as chinch bugs. ...

''), sugar-cane aphid ('' Sipha flava''), armyworms,

root-knot nematode Root-knot nematodes are plant-parasitic nematodes from the genus ''Meloidogyne''. They exist in soil in areas with hot climates or short winters. About 2000 species of plants worldwide are susceptible to infection by root-knot nematodes and they ...

s and

smut fungi The smuts are multicellular fungus, fungi characterized by their large numbers of teliospores. The smuts get their name from a Germanic word for 'dirt' because of their dark, thick-walled, and dust-like teliospores. They are mostly Ustilaginomycet ...

. Typically, it is the digit grass seed’s head that will be infected by smut and only under humid conditions.

Genetic stocks

There have been many countries that have developed cultivars of ''D. eriantha''. Australia developed ‘Advance’, a synthetic hybrid with a faster maturation. A cultivar of Milanje finger grass ('' D. setivalva''), formally denoted as 'Mardi' in Malaysia, is used for its high production in wet tropics. Pangola in the United States is used because of its resistance to

and thrives on sandy soils infested with cotton root-knot nematode.

Uses

Usually digit grass is used for hay and pasture. It can withstand very heavy grazing and grows quite quickly.

Nutritional information

''Digitaria eriantha'' is considered to be of very high quality within the class of tropical grasses. After cutting, digit grass has 12.1% crude protein and decreases to 5.0% if used in the water for animal feed. Typically per 100 g, the forage contains 10.8 g of protein, 2.0 g of fat, 74.4 g of carbohydrate, 29.8 g of fiber, 450 mg of calcium and 350 mg of phosphorus.

Economics

Most ''D. eriantha'' yields are affected by slopes, where the direction of bulldozing affected the yield size. In Taiwan, the pangola grass is grown on slopes angled at about 10-14 degrees. When bulldozed across the slope, the yield was higher than when it was bulldozed down the field. The first and second cuttings typically produce the highest yields, while the next three averages about the same amount.

Constraints to wider adoption

Most yields harvested in the fall were lower in protein, but application of nitrogen 3 weeks before grazing increased digestible crude protein and consumption rates. Therefore, though ''D. eriantha'' can be stored quite easily, it loses crude protein over time. Thus it is essential to use the grazed digit grass sooner rather than later.

Practical information: tips and solutions

Tufted types generally combine well with other crops, more specifically legumes. Stoloniferous types of ''D. eriantha'' typically can be very competitive and suppress companion crops. ''D. eriantha'' can also be used to suppress weeds. This is a great advantage for poor farmers with soils that are prone to many weeds that can be difficult to control. All genotypes are very tolerant of heavy grazing, where regular grazing is required to maintain quality and minimize diseases/pests. The best height to keep the grass at is between 10–15 cm and 30–40 cm. Thus, if this grass is grazed on time, this crop has great potential for poor farmers who require large yields for their livestock or pasture.

References

External links

*"Digitaria eriantha" Tropical Forages, Retrieved 2013-11-14. https://web.archive.org/web/20171017021444/http://www.tropicalforages.info/key/Forages/Media/Html/Digitaria_eriantha.htm *Heuzé V., Tran G., Archimède H., 2015. Pangola grass (Digitaria eriantha). Feedipedia, a programme by INRA, CIRAD, AFZ and FAO. https://www.feedipedia.org/node/461 *Mannetje, L.T. "Digitaria eriantha Steudel" FAO. Retrieved 2013-11.14. http://www.fao.org/ag/AGP/AGPC/doc/Gbase/data/Pf000477.HTM *Moore, G, Sanford, P & Wiley, T., 2006. "Digit grass (Digitaria eriantha)" Retrieved 2013-11-14. http://www.agric.wa.gov.au/objtwr/imported_assets/content/past/digit%20grass.pdf {{Authority control eriantha Grasses of Africa Plants described in 1829