CYNODON DACTYLON: CHARACTERISTICS, HABITAT, LIFE CYCLE, CULTIVATION - BIOLOGY - 2024

The Cynodon dactylon is a monocot perennial herb that is part of the family Poaceae. This grass is popularly known as common grass, or lawn, among others; and it is a plant native to Africa that has a cosmopolitan distribution.

Cynodon dactylon is a perennial grass that forms a blanket and has rhizomes. In turn, it is a dry season herb that grows upward with erect culms 0.1 to 0.4 cm long.

Source: pixabay.com

The rhizomes are long and highly branched, and are located at a depth from the soil surface of about 20 cm. The length of the rhizomes of this plant can reach 2 to 3 meters and have a thickness of between 8 to 10 mm. The leaves, on the other hand, are sessile, lanceolate, rigid, lack pubescence, and can measure between 7 and 10 cm long. The ligule of the leaves is short and ciliated.

Meanwhile, common grass develops racemose panicle-like inflorescence consisting of spike-shaped twigs almost 7 cm long. In turn, the spikelets are sessile and ovoid-lanceolate in shape.

This grass is native to Africa. However, it is widely distributed throughout the world, especially in tropical regions, where it has even been considered an invasive herb.

Cynodon dactylon is a slow-growing herb with two types of stems: an aerial one (stolon) and an underground one (rhizome). Although it is a plant that reproduces by seeds, it is widely spread by stolons and rhizomes. While the seeds are consumed by animals and subsequently scattered.

Although it is an invasive plant, common grass requires high doses of fertilization to have high yields and to have good quality. Also, although it is a drought tolerant herb, it grows best when it has constant water.

characteristics

Plant

Cynodon dactylon is a herbaceous-growing perennial that grows by stolons and rhizomes, and forms a dense blanket on the soil surface. Each plant can have a height of between 10 to 50 cm and spread about 3 meters.

Cynodon dactylon. Taken from: wikimedia commons

Leaves

The leaves are sessile, linear-lanceolate, and rigid when 7 to 10 cm long; they are soft when they are 10 to 15 cm long. Furthermore, they are devoid of pubescence. While tato, the ligule is short and ciliated.

Cynodon dactylon. Mike

Riz oma

The rhizome is long and branched, and is located at a depth of the soil of approximately 20 cm. The length reaches 2 or 3 meters and has a thickness of 8 to 10 mm.

Culmo

The culm, or false stem, is erect or creeping, cylindrical, hollow, green or red in color and lacks pubescence. It has a thickness that ranges between 1 to 3 mm and a length that goes from 10 to 60 cm. Meanwhile, the knots are dark and lacking in pubescence.

Inflorescence

The inflorescence of Cynodon dactylon is a racemose spike of the panicle type. The number of spikes can vary from three to seven, they are purple in color, arranged in a spiral, and are 3 to 10 cm long. While the spikelets are 2 to 3 mm long, sessile, single-flowered, arranged alternately, and laterally flat.

Spikes of Cynodon dactylon. Stefan.lefnaer

Fruit

The fruits of Cynodon dactylon are technically known as caryopsis and are elliptical, 1.5 cm long by 1 mm wide. In addition, they are dark red in color varying to brown, and are devoid of pubescence.

Taxonomy

- Kingdom: Plantae.

- Subkingdom: Viridiplantae.

- Infra kingdom: Streptophyte.

- Super division: Embriofita.

- Division: Tracheophyte.

- Subdivision: Eufilofitina.

- Infra division: Lignofita.

- Class: Spermatophyte.

- Subclass: Magnoliofita.

- Superorder: Lilianae.

- Order: Poales.

- Family: Poaceae.

- Subfamily: Chloridoideae.

- Tribe: Cynodonteae.

- Subtribe: Chloridinae.

- Genus: Cynodon.

- Species: Cynodon dactylon (Linnaeus) Persoon- grama.

Synonymy

- Basionym: Panicum dactylon L.

- Capriola dactylon (L.) Hitche.

- Agrostis bermudiana Tussac ex Kunth.

- Agrostis filiformis J. König ex Kunth.

- Chloris cynodon Trin.

- Cloris paytensis Steud.

- Cynodon aristiglumis Caro and EA Sánchez.

- Cynodon aristulatus Caro and EA Sánchez.

- Cynodon dactylon fo, vivipara Beetle. Among others.

Varieties

- Cynodon dactylon var. aridus.

- C. dactylon var. biflorus.

- C. dactylon var. dactylon.

- C. dactylon var. longiglumis.

- C. dactylon var. pilosus.

Habitat and distribution

Habitat

Although it is a very adaptable plant in many soils, Cynodon dactylon is optimally stable in fertile soils of the sandy to silty type. This plant grows in regions where the annual rainfall is 410 mm on average.

Likewise, this plant is established in areas with little rainfall and requires a surface with a constant source of water. Common grass is classified as a kind of facultative plateau.

Cynodon dactylon can transfer water via stolons and can therefore spread over short distances on a plateau. Common grass has been shown to transfer water from a wet site to a dry site.

Grass has deep roots that are capable of spreading during dry spells. At least ten cultivars of the common grass root up to 120-150 cm deep during dry spells.

However, Cynodon dactylon is a herb that is sensitive to cold, specifically to early winter temperatures.

On the other hand, C. dactylon is tolerant to soils with low pH and high salinity. Thus, six varieties of this plant can grow in soils with a pH of 2.7. Also, the dry matter yield of this herb is not affected when irrigated with salt water.

Distribution

Cynodon dactylon is a grass native to Africa, which is distributed in tropical and subtropical regions around the world. It extends into regions with latitude 45 degrees North and 45 degrees South.

Cynodon dactylon. Stefan.lefnaer

For example, in the United States, grass is common in subtropical regions from southeastern California to the Gulf Coast and the southeastern states.

Ecology

From an ecosystem point of view, it is a common plant in mountain meadows, prairie plains, desert grasslands, wet grasslands, annual grasslands, thorn scrub, and pine forest, among others.

In the southeastern United States, common grass is found in open-air grasslands and fields, forests, and pine plantations. In Georgia, for example, this herb is associated with Rubus sp., Prunus americana, Sassafras albidum, Rhus glabra, and various herbaceous plants.

Generally, this herb is associated with plants that grow in grasslands and shrubs, especially those in the Asteraceae family.

Lifecycle

Cynodon dactylon is a slow-growing, perennial herb with two growing structures known as surface stems (stolons), and underground stems (rhizomes). Both structures are capable of anchoring to the ground, creating new plants that grow forming a blanket on the surface of it.

In areas where the soil has not been disturbed, the rhizomes are superficial, but in anthropogenically modified soils the rhizomes can be buried to a depth of 30 to 180 cm.

Cynodon dactylon is a herb that generally reproduces by seeds, but nevertheless spreads rapidly through its stolons and rhizomes. Both structures act as propagules, and are dramatically reduced in low light and low nutrients.

The consumption of seeds by animals, results in this grass colonizing other spaces, thus being considered an early succession plant.

In turn, the seeds that are present in domestic sheep manure have a high germination rate. According to the above, the seeds need a scarification process. Thus, the seeds treated with strong acids for at least 10 min have a high germination percentage after 10 days. Although the germination of C. dactylon is substantially dependent on pH.

In regions with seasons, common grass begins its growth in the spring, and continues to grow during the summer, and begins a dormant state when the cold months enter.

Sowing and cultivation

Cynodon dactylon is used in erosion control programs for forage quality. However, cultivation is limited because optimal establishment requires propagation by rhizomes and stolons, rather than by seeds.

The growth of this grass is favored when it grows in company with the clover. This is due to the ability of the latter plant to associate with nitrogen-fixing soil bacteria.

This herb is widely used as turf and grassland grass. This plant requires constant fertilization to maintain the high growth rate and quality of the grass. It can be safely fertilized with sewage.

Cynodon dactylon is considered a weed for corn, alfalfa, citrus fruits, grapes, cotton, sugar cane, and other crops.

Common grass is considered an invasive plant and its control generally requires herbicides. Although in terms of quality and sustainability, soil solarization seems to be the most suitable tool to control the growth of common grass.

References

1. Carey, JH 1995. Cynodon dactylo n. In: Fire Effects Information System. US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer) Taken from: fs.fed.us
2. Cudney, DW, Elmore, CL, Bell, CE Pest notes: Bermudagrass. Taken from: ipm.ucanr.edu
3. Holt, JS Phenology, Biology, and Competition of Bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon).
4. Koster, HW 1976. Vegetative propagation of Cynodon dactylon (L.) Per. cv Coastcross-1 from stems. Doctoral thesis from the University of Florida.
5. Luneva, NN (2003-2019). Weeds: Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers - Bermuda Grass. Taken from: agroatlas.ru
6. Peterson, PM, Soreng, RJ, Davidse, G., Filgueiras, TS, Zuloaga, FO, Judziewicz. 2001. Catalog of new world grasses (Poaceae): II. subfamily Chloridoideae. pp 64.
7. Swallen, JR 1955. Flora of Guatemala, part II: grasses of Guatemala. Fieldiana: Botany, vol. 24, part II, pp 98.
8. Shi, H., Wang, Y., Cheng, Z., Ye, T., & Chan, Z. 2012. Analysis of natural variation in bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon) reveals physiological responses underlying drought tolerance. PloS one, 7 (12), e53422. doi: 10.1371 / journal.pone.0053422
9. The Taxonomicon. (2004-2019). Taxon: Species Cynodon dactylon (Linnaeus) Persoon - Bermuda grass (plant). Taken from: taxonomicon.taxonomy.nl