Echinochloa Utilis Research Articles

Suppression of seed germination and early seedling growth by plantation harvest residues

The role of forestry plantation residues (leaf and branch) in the suppression of establishment of four weed species (Conyza sumatrensis, Trifolium spp., Echinochloa utilis and Lactica sativa) was investigated. Of the three residue types used, Pinus patula residues were found to have the greatest suppressive effects, followed by Eucalyptus grandis and then Acacia mearnsii. Medium-grade residue was found to be more effective than either the coarse or fine grades, and positioning the weed seeds below the mulch resulted in greater suppression than when placed above it. Water extracts from the three residues also resulted in significant suppression of weed establishment, suggesting an allelopathic effect. Finally, suppression of the dicotyledon species was generally greater than suppression of the grass used in this study.

Root-growth Inhibition byDL-Homocysteine Thiolactone and Its Related Compounds

DL-Homocysteine thiolactone hydrochloride showed growth inhibition toward the roots of Brassica campestris L. subsp. rapa HOOK. fil. et ANDERS, Lactuca sativa L. var. longifolia LAM, and Echinochloa utilis OHWI et YABUNO even at the low concentration of 5.0 x 10−5 M. This inhibitory activity is higher than that of dihydro-2(3H)-thiophenone reported previously. On the other hand, the N-acetyl and N-benzoyl derivatives of DL-homocysteine thiolactone exhibited much less activity. These facts suggest that the free amino group at C-3 in DL-homocysteine thiolactone is essential to enhanced inhibitory activity. The amounts of chlorophyll in the cotyledons of B. campestris treated with DL-homocysteine thiolactone were decreased when compared with the control.

Evidence from RAPD markers in the evolution ofEchinochloa millets (Poaceae)

Echinochloa (Poaceae) includes two domesticated species,Echinochloa utilis (Japanese barnyard millet) andE. frumentacea (Indian sawa millet) and 20–30 wild species. The two millets are morphologically very variable and overlap in spikelet and inflorescence characteristics. Both species are hexaploids based on x = 9. Cytogenetic studies point to the hexaploid wild speciesE. crusgalli andE. colona as possible progenitors ofE. utilis andE. frumentacea, respectively. The tetraploidE. oryzoides is considered as a possible genome donor to wild and domesticated barnyard millet. Markers from Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA method were used to assess the proposed phylogeny and examine the genetic diversity in both domesticated and wild species. The data were analyzed numerically.Echinochloa utilis andE. frumentacea appear very distinct, but grouped withE. crusgalli andE. colona, respectively. The tetraploidE. oryzoides show strong genetic affinity to theE. utilis—E. crusgalli group. The data are in general agreement with the cytogenetic information; however, some disagreements on the interpretation of some of the cytogenetic information is raised. The variability in DNA markers observed in the domesticated species, particularlyE. frumentacea, points to the feasibility of using RAPD markers in cultivar fingerprinting and breeding programs of these millets.

Inhibitory Activities of 3-Thiophenecarboxylic Acid and Related Compounds on Plant Growth

3-Thiophenecarboxylic acid (1) showed strong growth-inhibitory activity toward the following plants but not Glycine max Merrill; Brassica campestris subsp. rapa Hook. fil. et Anders, Sesamum indicum L., Lactuca sativa L. var. longifolia Lam, Echinochloa utilis Ohwi et Yabuno and Allium tuberosum Rottler. Compound 1 strongly inhibited the growth of roots of S. indicum and L. sativa even at the low concentration of 5.0 × 10−5 m. The growth-inhibitory activity of 1-related compounds (2–6) on S. indicum was also studied. Among the compounds, 3-thiopheneacetic acid (6) showed the strongest inhibitory activity, but 3-thiophenecarboxaldehyde (2), 3-thiophenemethanol (3), and 3-thiophenecarboxamide (5) showed no activity. The radicles of plants treated with these active compounds showed negative geotropism.

Phytogrowth-inhibitory activities of 2-thiophenecarboxylic acid and its related compounds.

2-Thiophenecarboxylic acid (I) exhibited growth-inhibitory activity in five kinds of plants. In particular, I strongly inhibited the growth of the roots of Lactuca sativa L. var. longifolia LAM and Echinochloa utilis OHWI et YABUNO, even at the low concentration of 5.0 x 10(-3) M. Furthermore, all of the I-related compounds (II-V and VII-X) except for VI, showed more or less obvious inhibitory activity on the seeds of Sesamum indicum L. Compounds VII-X, in which the carboxyl group of I was replaced by acetic acid, propionic acid, butyric acid and acrylic acid, and exhibited more potent phytogrowth-inhibitory activity than I. Among these compounds, 2-thiophenebutyric acid (IX) showed the strongest activity. Esterification of the carboxyl group in I increased the inhibitory activity relative to that of I, while amidation and reduction of this group markedly decreased its inhibitory activity. The radicles of the plants treated with each of the compounds except for VI showed negative geotropism, even though germination occurred.

Inhibitory Activity of 5-Thio-d-glucose on Plant Growth

5-Thio-d-glucose showed strong growth-inhibitory activity in the roots of the following plants: Brassica campestris L. subsp. rapa Hook. fil. et Anders, Sesamum indicum L., Lactuca sativa L. var. longifolia Lam, Abelmoschus esculentus Moench, Glycine max Merrill, Echinochloa utilis Ohwi et Yabuno, and Allium tuberosum Rottler. The compound strongly inhibited the growth of the roots of E. utilis and A. tuberosum even at the low concentration of 5.0 x 10 −5 m. The radicles of plants treated with 5-thio-d-glucose showed negative geotropism. The 5-thio-d-glucose-induced inhibition in B. campestris was reversed by addition of d-glucose.

Hydrolysis and Phytotoxic Activity ofN-Aryl-3,4,5,6-tetrahydroisophthalimides

The phytotoxic action of five N-aryl-3,4,5,6-tetrahydroisophthalimides (isoimides) synthesized was studied using green microalga (Scenedesmus acutus) and sawa millet (Echinochloa utilis). Isoimides had the same phytotoxic activity as that of imides and amide-acids. This fact indicates that isoimides are peroxidizing herbicides too. Their phytotoxic activity against E. utilis and S. acutus was studied in relation to conversion of isoimide to imide and/or amide-acid during the bioassay. The isoimides rapidly changed to the amide-acids and imides in cluture solution. The conversion rate depended on structures of their N-aryl residues. The phytotoxicity of isoimides may be mostly due to the corresponding amide-acids and/or imides. However, because the isoimides, N-{4-(4-chlorobenzyloxy)phenyl}-3,4,5,6-tetrahydroisophthalimide, which had a bulky p-substituent on N-aryl ring, slowly converted to the corresponding amide-acid and/or imide, this compound may have the intrinsic phytotoxicity of the isoimide itself.

Phytogrowth-inhibitory activities of sulfur-containing compounds. II. The inhibitory activities of thiosalicylic acid and dihydro-2(3H)-thiophenone-related compounds on plant growth.

Thiosalicylic acid (I) showed rather strong inhibitory activity on the growth of roots of all plants treated except Abelmoschus esculentus Moench at the concentration of 5.0 x 10(-4) M. This compound strongly inhibited the growth of the root of Echinochloa utilis Ohwi et Yabuno even at the low concentration of 5.0 x 10(-5) M. Dihydro-2(3H)-thiophenone (VII) also exhibited inhibitory activity on the growth of roots of all plants treated except Glycine max Merrill. Both compounds inhibited the germination of seeds of some plants at the concentration of 1.0 x 10(-3) M. In I-related compounds (I-V), methyl acetylthiosalicylate (IV) had the strongest inhibitory activity, while in VII-related compounds (VII-XI), 4-hydroxy-2(5H)-thiophenone (VIII) showed the most potent inhibitory activity. The amount of chlorophyll in the cotyledon of Brassica campestris L. subsp. rapa Hook. f. et Anders treated with all compounds except tetrahydrothiophene (XI) was lower than that of the control group.

Echinochloa esculenta, comb. nov. — the correct name of the Japanese barnyard millet (Gramineae)

SummaryScholz, H.: Echinochloa esculenta, comb. nov. — the correct name of the Japanese barnyard millet (Gramineae). — Taxon 41: 522–523. 1992. — ISSN 0040‐0262.The new combination Echinochloa esculenta based on Panicum esculentum A. Braun is proposed to replace E. utilis Ohwi & Yabuno, a junior synonym of it. A neotype is designated in the Körnicke Herbarium, now in Berlin (B): a cultivated plant grown from seeds collected in Japan 1860–1861.

Japanese barnyard millet (Echinochloa utilis, poaceae) in Japan

Two species are included in barnyard millet:Echinochloa utilis andE. frumentacea. These differ from each other in their genomic constitution and phylogeny. The former species originated fromE. crus-galli probably in eastern Asia, and is grown in Japan, Korea, and the northeastern part of China; the latter originated fromE. colona probably in tropical Asia, and is grown in Pakistan, India, and Nepal. “Japanese barnyard millet” is suggested as a suitable English common name forE. utilis; “Indian barnyard millet,” forE. frumentacea. In the past, Japanese barnyard millet was important in Japan as the staple food crop in districts where soil, weather conditions and irrigation systems were not suitable for paddy rice cultivation. When the rice crop suffered serious cool weather damage, the millet relieved people from starvation, especially in northeastern Japan. But the acreage devoted to the millet gradually decreased during and after the 1880s. Only the northern part of Iwate Prefecture is an exclusive Japanese barnyard millet cropping region at present. The breeding of cool- weather- resistant rice varieties and improvements in rice- growing techniques are mainly responsible for the decrease in acreage of the millet.

Yield and quality of irrigated summer fodder crops in northern Victoria

Dry matter (DM) yield, in vitro digestibility (DMD%), and nitrogen (N) concentration were determined for 28 cultivars of millet (Echinochloa utilis), hybrid forage sorghum (Sorghum spp.) and maize (Zea mays), under irrigation at Kyabram, Victoria. These summer fodder crops produced large amounts of digestible dry matter (DDM) under intensive irrigated management in northern Victoria, indicating their potential importance for animal production in irrigated warm temperate regions, where pasture dominates the present land use. Single harvest cultivars produced more DM and DDM than did multiple-cut types but with a lower N concentration and generally lower digestibility. Comparing the highest 3-year mean yields for each species, sweet sorghum cv. Honey drip produced more dry matter (273 t/ha) than did maize cv. XL77 (21.6 t/ha) but yields of DDM were similar (14.4 v. 14.0 t/ha). Both yielded more DM and DDM than grain sorghum cv. Pacific 303 (20.1 t DM/ha and 12.4 t DDM/ha). Maize had higher digestibility (65.0%) than grain sorghum (61.5%) or sweet sorghum (53.0% DMD) and higher N concentration (1.1%) than sweet sorghum (0.9%). All maize cultivars had similar dry matter yields but differed in grain yield. Echinochloa millet cv. Shirohie produced a similar amount of DM (16.3 t/ha) and DDM (10.8 t DM/ha) to sorghum x sudan grass hybrid cv. Sudax (17.1 t DM/ha and 10.7 t DDM/ha). This contrasts with their comparative performance at lower latitudes where sorghum hybrids have the higher yield. There was no difference in mean yield between cultivars of sorghum x sudan grass hybrid. Millet had a higher digestibility (65.9%) and nitrogen concentration (1.9%) than sorghum x sudan hybrids (63.3% DMD, 1.5% N). In this environment, maize and Echinochloa millet had similar DDM yield capacities to sorghum cultivars oftheir equivalent type but superior forage quality.

MATERIALS Identification of Japanese Millet from the Gangetsu Site by Means of a Scanning Electron Microscope

Hie is the common Japanese name for Echinochloa utilis Ohwi et Yabuno, and was formerly widely cultivated in Japan, as indicated by its English name of Japanese millet, although, like other millets, it has now declined to the status of a minor crop. This crop is famous for being one of the candidates for prerice cultivates, but as yet few actual samples have been found in archaeological remains. The main obstacle may be the difficulty of identifying it in carbonized form. However, as shown in the case of awa (Sataria italica (L.) Beauv.), the observation of the epidermis of floral bracts with the aid of SEM might be helpful in discriminating among them.In this study, which is a sequel to my previous report, the characteristic cell patterns of this crop are shown by SEM in the samples of archaeological material from historical times from the Tohoku District and are compared with recent samples.

Development of a New Herbicide, Bialaphos

Bialaphos, L-2-amino-4-[(hydroxy) (methyl)phosphinoyl] butyryl-L-alanyl-L-alanine, is a metabolite of Streptomyces hygroscopicus and the first herbicide produced by fermentation. Bialaphos acted on foliage and was effective against a wide range of weeds including perennials. Bialaphos was slower acting than paraquat, but faster than glyphosate. It controlled the regrowth of weeds longer than paraquat but shorter than glyphosate. Translocation of radioactivity in Rumex obtusifolius treated with 14C-bialaphos was observed autoradiographically. Bialaphos did not affect emergence nor growth of crops through soil. Therefore, bialaphos is expected to be used widely for arable land including nontillage cultivation. Growth inhibition of pollen tube of Camellia japonica was recovered by the addition of glutamine. The result suggested that glutamine synthetase (L-glutamine: ammonia ligase (ADP), EC 6.3. 1.2, GS) was inhibited in the pollen. Decrease of GS activity was observed in shoots of Echinochloa utilis OHWI treated with bialaphos. Decrease in glutamine content was observed in plant leaf treated with bialaphos, but it did not appear that the decrease was a main factor for the herbicidal activity. Ammonia content in plant leaf was observed to increase in four hr after the treatment and reached about 30 to 100 times higher than the control in 24 to 48hr. The accumulation was not momentary, but maintained until the death of the plant. The high correlation between free ammonia content and herbicidal activity indicated that the toxicity of accumulated ammonia is the primary factor of herbicidal activity of bialaphos. The ammonia accumulation is considered to be a particular action of bialaphos in plants. More extensive use of microbial metabolites is expected by the fact that bialaphos was developed as a herbicide.

Growth, mineral composition and grain yield of irrigated and rainfed millets and sorghum

SUMMARYSorghum bicolor, Pennisetum americanum, Echinochloa utilis, Panicum miliaceum, Setaria italica and Eleusine coracana were grown with and without full irrigation on an alkaline clay soil at Trangie, Australia. Dry-matter yields and forage quality changes with time were measured in the 1st year. Grain yield was recorded over 2 years.Dry-matter accumulation was initially most rapid in sorghum and Japanese barnyard millet. Sorghum, pearl millet and finger millet produced the most dry matter; these were the latest to reach head emergence. The early-maturing proso millet and foxtail millet produced only 7 and l i t dry matter/ha respectively. These two millets, like sorghum and pearl millet, had a high nitrogen: sulphur ratio and low sodium concentration in the forage. Finger millet had a lower nitrogen: sulphur ratio and a sodium concentration that was surpassed only by Japanese barnyard millet.Irrigated sorghum consistently produced the highest grain yields: over 9 t/ha. Yields from the millets were: foxtail 6·0, finger 5·0, proso 3·5, pearl and Japanese barnyard millet 2·8–2·9 t/ha. Special features of the millets are discussed.

Summer forages under irrigation. 2. Forage composition

Summer forages, including Sorghum bicolor hybrids, S. sudanense, S. bicolor x S. sudanense hybrids, perennial sorghum, maize and Pennisetum and Echinochloa millets, were grown on an alkaline clay soil at Trangie, New South Wales. Primary growth was sampled every 3 weeks and the plant components analysed for nitrogen, sulfur, sodium and in vitro dry matter digestibility. Whole plants were analysed for calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and chloride content. Fresh leaf samples were analysed for potential hydrocyanic acid (HCN) yield. The quality attributes were regressed on time in order to describe accurately the quality of a forage at different times in its growth. Sorghum species, particularly the sweet sorghum hybrids and perennial sorghum, had high HCN potentials (0.15 and 0.14, respectively, at 8 weeks). They had low contents of sulfur, especially in the stem fraction and this decreased with time. Hence the nitrogen:sulfur ratio was always marginally high or, in sweet sorghum hybrids and perennial sorghum, above the recommended optimum of 15:1 for animal nutrition. Furthermore, they were deficient in sodium, particularly in the leaf fraction, while digestibility decreased rapidly with age. Nevertheless, Piper Sudangrass had a low HCN potential, which would allow it to be grazed early when digestibility was high (70% at 7 weeks). Maize had a negligible HCN potential, a nitrogen: sulfur ratio consistently below 15: 1 and a sodium content intermediate between sorghum and millet species. Millets had a negligible HCN potential and high sodium content, particularly Echinochloa utilis. This species also had a high sulfur content and hence very low nitrogen: sulfur ratio; it is recommended for early grazing to obtain high quality forage.

Growth and development of channel millet (Echinochloa turneriana) in relation to its potential as a crop plant and compared with other Echinochloa millets, rice and wheat

Abstract The effects of a range of temperature regimes (from 15/10 to 36/31°C), irradiances and daylenghts on the growth and development of Channel millet (Echinochloa turneriana (Domin) J.M. Black) were examined in the Canberra phytotron. The responses were compared with those of the domesticated barnyard millets (Echinochloa utilis and E. frumentacea) as well as with indica and japonica rice cultivars and with wheat. Growth and development of Channel millet can be extremely rapid, with a relative growth rate (RGR) of up to 49% per day and anthesis within 5 weeks of germination, but in these respects E. turneriana was not very different from the already domesticated species of Echinochloa, except that its flowering was less delayed by long days. CO2 exchange rates per unit leaf area (CER) and inflorescence structure were also similar, but kernel size and harvest index were greater in the cultivated millets. No compelling physiological reason was found for the domestication of Channel millet vis-a-vis other millets. The greatest difference between E. utilis and E. frumentacea was in the ability of the more temperately-adapted E. utilis to grow at cool temperatures, at which E. turneriana was intermediate. The japonica and indica rice cultivars differed in parallel with the Japanese and Indian millets. In the three millets and two rices, when grown below 21/16°C, the low RGRs were matched by low “sadpated” CER, but short tern CERs were much higher than ‘adapted’ rates at cool temperatures. At higher temperatures CER approached a plateau above 24/19°C in both rice and millet, whereas in the latter RGR increased progressively up to 36/31°C. In wheat both RGR and CER were relatively unresponsive to temperature. Across all species and temperatures, RGR was much more closely related to relative leaf area growth rate (r = 0.98) and to leaf appearance rate (r = 0.94) than to CER. It is concluded that while CER sets a limit to growth rates, the differences in RGR between species and across conditions were more closely associated with the rate of leaf expansion and the extent to which leaf appearance and expansion were limited by temperature and irradiance.

The effect of photoperiod on the growth and development of Echinochloa spp. Millets

Two cultivars of Echinochloa utilis, Ohwi et Yabuno, and one E.frumentacea (Roxb.) Link cultivar were grown in a glasshouse under three photoperiod regimes: naturally varying photoperiods (1 2-1 3 h), and fixed photoperiods of 14 and 16 h. Both species behaved as quantitative short-day plants although, in E. utilis, extending the photoperiod from 14 to 16 h delayed head emergence disproportionately. The delay in head emergence did not affect the relative growth rate, and longer photoperiods led to higher shoot weights; main tiller leaf number increased only slightly. The commencement of apical meristem elevation was delayed under longer photoperiods, a feature believed to be beneficial to regrowth. A time-of-sowing study in the field illustrated the effect of this short-day response upon crop development. Sixteen introduced E. utilis cultivars and 10 E. frumentacea cultivars also behaved as quantitative short-day plants. Within each species there were differences between cultivars in sensitivity to photoperiod. Some cultivars of E. utilis were very late and had abnormal head emergence at 16 h. Latitudinal effects on the performance of these cultivars are discussed.

Summer forages under irrigation. 3. The effect of nitrogen fertilizer on the growth, mineral composition and digestibility of a sorghum cross Sudangrass hybrid and Japanese barnyard millet

Sorghum bicolor x S. sudanense hybrid cv. Sudax ST6 and Echinochloa utilis cv. Shirohie were grown under irrigation at Trangie, New South Wales. Six rates of nitrogen (N) fertilizer were applied at sowing: 0, 25, 50, 120, 300, 450 kg N/ha. Height and dry matter yield were recorded at head emergence, together with the leaf hydrocyanic acid (HCN) potential, and leaf and stem dry matter digestibility, nitrogen, sulfur and sodium contents. Both the sorghum hybrid and the millet reached maximum forage yields (16.1 and 7.6 t/ha, respectively) at 350 kg N/ha. However, the tall-growing forage sorghum produced more dry matter than millet and consequently was more responsive to fertilizer nitrogen. In sorghum the leaf HCN potential increased linearly in response to N (8.5 x 10-4 %/kg N.ha). Since there was no compensating increase in the sulfur content (0.072%), and, assuming a requirement of 1.2 g S/g of HCN detoxified, sorghum lacked sufficient sulfur to detoxify the HCN potentially released in the rumen from sorghum receiving 150-200 kg N/ha. At this rate of nitrogen application, sorghum was producing only two-thirds of its forage yield potential. The sodium content of sorghum (0.013%) was not affected by nitrogen. In millet the nitrogen and sodium contents increased as applied nitrogen promoted growth. Plant sulfur was diluted initially but the nitrogen: sulfur ratio increased steadily (0.0067 units/kg N.ha). In contrast to sorghum, therefore, nitrogen fertilizer can be used to increase the dry matter yield of millet without jeopardizing forage quality and hence animal production.

Effects of temperature and moisture stress on germination and seedling growth of four tropical species

Two controlled environment experiments and one field experiment were conducted to study the effects of temperature and moisture stress on germination, emergence and seedling growth of Zea mays, Echinochloa utilis, E. frumentacea and Pennisetum americanum. When night/day temperatures ranging from 5/10�C to 25/30�C were imposed, none of the species germinated at 5/10�C within 14 d. At 10/15�C or above, at least 50% of seed of all species germinated in 14 d although germination of P. americanum was more depressed by 10/15�C than the other three species. In the second experiment, seed were exposed to a range of osmotic potentials (0 to - 1.5 MPa) at night/day temperatures of 10/15, 15/20 and 20/25�C. Decreasing osmotic potentials had only small effects on germination at 15/20 or 20/25�C but had marked effects on all species at 10/15�C. The field experiment treatments comprised a number of sowing dates and irrigation treatments to give a range of soil temperatures and moisture potentials. Considerable differences between Z. mays and the other three species were recorded; more Z. mays seedlings emerged and their weights and root lengths three weeks after sowing were greater than those of the other three species by a factor of 10. Reasons for these differences ire discussed.

Growth, mineral composition and digestibility of maize, sorghum and barnyard millets at different temperatures

Barnyard millets (Echinochloa utilis and E. frumentacea), maize (Zea mays) and a sorghum hybrid (Sorghum bicolor x S. sudanense) were grown as spaced plants at temperature regimens from 15/10 to 33/28�C (dayhight). Leaf and stem dry weight, leaf area and leaf number were recorded every 2 weeks and the dry matter analysed for nitrogen, sulfur, sodium and in vitro digestibility. Tolerance to low temperatures was in the order maize > E. utilis >sorghum >E. frumentacea. At mean temperatures above 25�C, relative growth rates were similar for all species. Differences in leaf area, for which individual leaf size was mainly responsible, accounted for most of the dry weight responses to temperature, although net assimilation rate responses were also apparent. The dry weight response to temperature became negligible after adjusting for differences in stage of development. Dry matter digestibility decreased with temperature; it also decreased with time because of deteriorating stems, except in sorghum. Maize leaves were of low digestibility, similar to stems. The nitrogen : sulfur ratio of all species remained steady with age; in sorghum at low temperature it exceeded the 15: 1 maximum considered desirable for animals. Sodium was highest in E. utilis stems and increased with temperature, in contrast to sorghum. Maize had a marginal nitrogen: sulfur ratio and unacceptably low sodium concentration. It was concluded that more attention should be given to E. utilis as a forage for cool climates.