Synonymes : Fimbristylis littoralis Gaudich. Scirpus miliaceus L. Trichelostylis miliacea (L.) Nees
Common name : Fringerush, globe
Common name in Hindi : Ghueen, dilli
Common name in Urdu : Chhoti bhoin
Bangla English Hindi Urdu
Diagnostic characters
Biology
Ecology and distribution
Nuisance
Weed control
Botany
Uses/Remark
References
Fimbristylis miliacea is erect sedge that may grow as annual or perennial plant. The culms are slender, 40 to 60cm tall; their transversal section is four- or five-angled; the leaves may reach 40cm long but the basal leaves are half as long as culm. The inflorescences are rather lax and diffuse forming a compound umbel.
F. miliacea is very competitive in rice. Because it is a prolific seed producer, it soon becomes widespread when it enters new area of rice production.
A very important work on the biology of this species was done in Japan during sixties; we summarize some results of their studies.This species has the unique ability to keep seedlings emerging in the field throughout the entire culture period. This accounts in part for its increasing importance as the use of herbicides become more widespread. A single treatement will affect only the crop of seedlings present at the time, and the many plants which appear leater can escape the herbicide. This permits both competition and seed production. As other species are removed with herbicides, F. miliacea can compete more effectively.
Other result of these trials was that F. miliacea had many more seedlings than did any other weed emerging in the driest soil. There were twice as many seedlings coming up from the the dry soil as from the submerged soil and this was true in both the early and and usual planting seasons.
F. miliacea is eaten by cattle, the seeds passing through their digestive tracts mostly undigested and germinating near droppings.
Studies of the growth of root systems in rice fields in India have shown that roots of F. miliacea spread much more rapidly than do the roots of rice. The roots of the weed spread vigorously in all directions, growing between the rice roots and eventually surrounding them and competing seriously with them for nutrients.
Native of Tropical America F. miliacea is becoming one of the serious weeds all around Asia and Pacific Islands wherever rice is grown.
In India, it is one of the most harmful weeds in rice fields. It encrases with the advent of herbicides.
- Cultural
Keeping a layer of water (15cm) on rice in Surinam is said to suppress germination of F. miliacea completely.
- Biological
Very little is known about natural enemies of this sedge; the fungi, Corticum sasaki, and the nematode Meloidogyne graminicola both present in India, may be considered for biological control.
- Chemical
Pre-emergence application of Pretilachlor 1.0 kg/ha or Post-emergence application of 2_4-D at 500 /ha or Almix at 4 g/ha.
Habit
Is a tufted erect sedge.
Roots
Fibrous root system.
Stem
The culms are slender, 40 to 60cm tall; their transversal section is four-angled and somewhat flattened.
Leaves
Linear, threadlike and stiff, two ranked, 1.5 to 2.5mm wide, up to 40cm long, basal leaves are half as long as culm. The leaf bract is shorther than inflorescence.
Inflorescence
Compound umbrel rather lax and diffuse, 6 to 10cm long, globose or subglobose; each umbel 2.5 to 4mm long, 1.5 to 2mm wide, round or acute at apex, reddish brown, the lower scales fall early. Stigmas three branched, rarely in a few flowers two branched; anthers yellow; glumes ovate, brown, about 1mm long, spirally arranged, membranous, obtuse, the green midvein or keel broad.
Fruit
Achene white, yellowish, less than half the length of the glume, three angled, biconvex, broadest above the middle, very finely warty, somewhat sugarcoated.
- Holm L. G., Plucknett D. L., Pancho J. V., Herberger J. P. 1991. The world’s worst weeds. Distribution and Biology. East-West Center by the University Press. Hawaii.
- Waterhouse D. F. 1994. Biological control of weeds: Southeast Asian prospects. ACIAR Monograph No. 26, 302pp.
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