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Dichanthium annulatum var. papillosum (A.Rich.) de Wet & Harlan Bas.: Andropogon papillosus Hochst. ex A.Rich. Perennial herb, in wooded savannah and grassy savannah. C.N.: kabudilá (kb); capim-de-deus (pt). Uses: medicinal., Published as part of Monteiro, Francisca, Costa, Esperança Da, Kissanga, Raquel, Costa, José Carlos & Catarino, Luís, 2022, An annotated checklist of the vascular flora of Quiçama National Park, Angola, pp. 1-67 in Phytotaxa 557 (1) on page 59, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.557.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/6985699

Floristic and taxonomic community may miss out certain species from their surveys resulting in treating them under threatened categories based on dearth of representations in collections. However, such plants are likely to be recognized adequately by traditional knowledge if these plants have some known utilities. Knowledge about plant resources with forest dwelling human communities is a key constituent of their traditional knowledge, and harnessing natural resources sustainably has been a part of their lifestyle for centuries. We discuss here an example of a grass Dichanthium jainii (Deshp. & Hemadri) Deshp., endemic to Sahyadri, Northern Western Ghats, which is placed under threatened plant category Endangered (EN) owing to its underrepresentation in collections. However, the plant is used by local inhabitants of Northern Western Ghats as a roof thatching material for many generations. This grass is not only conserved by them in situ, but also planted for domestic use by every household. The paradoxical situation of its threat status, based on herbarium studies, and its much larger extent of occurrence in reality, is a result of overlooking traditional knowledge in taxonomic surveys. This paper appeals that traditional knowledge can also be taken as one of the sources while reassessing status of threatened plants.

Dichanthium paranjpyeanum (Bhide) Clayton (Clayton 1978: 579) (Fig. 5). Basionym:��� Andropogon paranjpyeanum Bhide (Bhide 1911: 516) Lectotype (designated here):��� INDIA. Bombay: Castlerock, 21 Oct. 1909, Bhide R. K. 9404(3) [Acc. 89331(BLAT!)]. Note:��� Bhide (1911) describing Andropogon paranjpyeanum cited his own collection as ���In the province of Bombay, Castle Rock, collected by Bhide R. K. in October 1909 ���. Attempts were made to locate the type specimens at K, BLAT, CAL, BSI and MH; however, we could find the collection by Bhide at K (K000245830, K000245831, K000245653) and BLAT (Acc. 89331 and Acc. 89332). All are regarded here as syntypes (Article 9.6 of ICN) and one of the specimens from this gathering (Castlerock Bhide R. K. 9404(3) [Acc. 89331] (BLAT) is designated here as the lectotype (Art. 9.3 of ICN), as it agrees well with the protologue, has collection number, and morphologically more complete with floral and vegetative parts., Published as part of Shaikh, Tarbej, Ghalme, Raghunath & Potdar, Girish, 2022, Typifications in the genus Dichanthium (Andropogoneae: Poaceae), pp. 103-110 in Phytotaxa 530 (1) on page 109, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.530.1.9, http://zenodo.org/record/5823993, {"references":["Clayton, W. D. (1978) New Species and Combinations in African and Indian Grasses: Studies in the Gramineae: XLIII. Kew Bulletin 37 (3): 579 - 581. https: // doi. org / 10.2307 / 4109662","Bhide, R. K. (1911) New and revised species of Gramineae from Bombay (with four plates). Journal and Proceedings of the Asiatic Society of Bengal 7: 513 - 520."]}

Dichanthium panchganiense Blatt. & McCann (Blatter & McCann 1927: 357). (Fig. 4). Lectotype (designated here):— INDIA. Maharashtra: Panchgani village and tableland, Nov. 1925, C. McCann s. n. [Acc. 89322 (BLAT!)]. Note:— Blatter & McCann (1927) described two species, viz. D. panchganiense and D. mccannii based on collections of McCann (in the year 1925) from Panchgani (Satara, Maharashtra). Bor (1960) stated that ‘‘the type of D. mccannii is not in the Blatter Herbarium, St. Xavier’s College, Bombay, and there is no material of the species at Kew”. According to Deshpande (1984) type of D. mccannii and D. panchganiense was housed at BLAT. Attempts were made to locate the type specimens at BLAT, we found two sheets of D. mccannii (Acc. 89321) and D. panchganiense (Acc. 89322) made by McCann, and can serve as an original material. Both the specimens are selected here as lectotypes following Art. 9.3 of ICN.

Dichanthium mccannii Blatt. (Blatter & McCann 1927: 357). (Fig. 3). Lectotype (designated here):��� INDIA. Maharashtra: East of third tableland, Panchgani, Oct. 1925, C. McCann s. n. [Acc. 89321 (BLAT!)]., Published as part of Shaikh, Tarbej, Ghalme, Raghunath & Potdar, Girish, 2022, Typifications in the genus Dichanthium (Andropogoneae: Poaceae), pp. 103-110 in Phytotaxa 530 (1) on page 109, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.530.1.9, http://zenodo.org/record/5823993, {"references":["Blatter, E. & McCann, C. (1927) Two new species of grass from Panchgani (Satara district). The Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society 32: 357 - 358."]}

Dichanthium aristatum (Poir.) C.E. Hubb. (Hubbard 1939:654). (Fig. 1) Basionym:��� Andropogon aristatus Poir. (Poiret 1811:585). Lectotype (designated here):��� FRANCE. Commerson P. 166 [P03459113 (P, image!)]. Note:���Describing Andropogon aristatus, Poiret (1811) cited the Commerson collection from the island of France [Ile de France] in the protologue. Attempts were made to locate the type specimens at K, P, L, G, LINN and UPS, we found single gathering of three sheets made by Commerson (P03459095, P03459113 and P03459122) at National Museum of Natural History, France (P). In accordance with Article 9.6 of ICN, all the representatives of the type collections are syntypes (McNeill 2014). One of the specimens from this gathering (France, Commerson P. 166 [P03459113]) is designated here as the lectotype, as it agrees well with the protologue, possesses a collection number and has enough floral and vegetative parts on sheet., Published as part of Shaikh, Tarbej, Ghalme, Raghunath & Potdar, Girish, 2022, Typifications in the genus Dichanthium (Andropogoneae: Poaceae), pp. 103-110 in Phytotaxa 530 (1) on page 103, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.530.1.9, http://zenodo.org/record/5823993, {"references":["Hubbard, C. E. (1939) Notes on African Grasses: XXII. Tropical African Grasses. Bulletin of Miscellaneous Information, Royal Gardens, Kew 1939 (10): 643 - 655. https: // doi. org / 10.2307 / 4118176","Poiret, J. L. M. (1811) Encyclopedie Methodique. Botanique Supplement, Chez H. Agasse, Paris, 585 pp.","McNeill, J. (2014) Holotype specimens and type citation: general issues. Taxon 67: 1112 - 1113. https: // doi. org / 10.12705 / 635.7"]}

Dichanthium foulkesii (Hook.f.) S.K.Jain & Deshp. (Jain & Deshpande 1978: 134). (Fig. 2). Basionym:��� Andropogon foulkesii Hook. f. (Hooker 1897: 174). Lectotype (designated here):��� INDIA. Tamil Nadu: Nilghiries; Kaity, 1850, Foulkes T. s.n. [K000245669 (K, image!)]. Note:��� While describing Andropogon foulkesii Hook. f. (Hooker 1897) cited three gatherings in the protologue [Nilghiri hills, Wight; Kaity, Foulkes; Pykora, King]. Attempts were made to locate the original material at K, as well as at CAL, BSI, and MH. We could find specimens at K and CAL by Wight (K000245670), Foulkes (K000245669) and King (K0001057471, CAL0000002310, CAL0000002311). One of the specimens viz. Foulkes (Tamil Nadu, Nilgiris, Kaity, 1850, Foulkes T. s.n. [K000245669]) is designated here as the lectotype, as it agrees well with the protologue, it is complete and has stamped Herbarium Hookerianum 1867. The remaining collections by Wight and King are comparatively incomplete as these are without roots., Published as part of Shaikh, Tarbej, Ghalme, Raghunath & Potdar, Girish, 2022, Typifications in the genus Dichanthium (Andropogoneae: Poaceae), pp. 103-110 in Phytotaxa 530 (1) on pages 103-109, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.530.1.9, http://zenodo.org/record/5823993, {"references":["Jain, S. K. & Deshpande, U. R. (1978) Transfer of some Indian species of Bothriochloa and Capillipedium to Dichanthium. Bulletin of Botanical Survey of India 20 (1 - 4): 133 - 135.","Hooker, J. D. (1897) Flora of British India. Vol. 7. L. Reeve & Co., London, 174 pp."]}

A new variety of Dichanthium caricosum (L.) A. Camus (Poaceae) is described and illustrated from Papikonda National Park, Andhra Pradesh, India. The new variety differs from the typical variety by its two lobed lemma of pedicelled spikelets and solitary racemes.

The present study was carried out to determine the effect of Acacia nilotica, a tropical plant rich in hydrolyzable tannins (HT), on rumen fermentation and methane (CH4) production in vitro. We used leaves and pods from A. nilotica alone and combined. The combination of HT from A. nilotica leaves and pods and condensed tannins (CT) from Calliandra calothyrsus and Leucaena leucocephala were also evaluated to assess potential differences in biological activity between HT and CT. Four series of 24-h incubations were performed using rumen contents of 4 sheep fed a tropical grass (natural grassland based on Dichanthium spp.). A first experiment tested different levels of replacement of this tropical forage (control [CTL] without tannins) by A. nilotica leaves or pods: 0:100, 25:75, 50:50, 75:25 and 100:0. A second experiment tested the mixture of A. nilotica leaves and pods in different proportions: 100:0, 75:25, 50:50, 25:75, and 0:100. A third experiment tested the 50:50 combination of A. nilotica leaves or pods with C. calothyrsus and L. leucocephala. Acacia nilotica pods and leaves had a high content of HT (350 and 178 g/kg DM, respectively), whereas C. calothyrsus and L. leucocephala had a high content of CT (361 and 180 g/kg DM, respectively). The inclusion of HT from A. nilotica leaves and pods decreased CH4 production dose-dependently (P < 0.01). Total replacement of the CTL by A. nilotica decreased CH4 production by 64 and 55% with leaves and pods, respectively. Pods were richer in HT than leaves, but their antimethanogenic effect did not differ (P > 0.05). Although A. nilotica leaves and pods inhibited fermentation, as indicated by the lower gas production and VFA production (P < 0.01), this effect was less pronounced than for CH4. Volatile fatty acid production decreased by 12% in leaves and by 30% in pods when compared with the CTL alone. Positive associative effect was reported for VFA, when HT-rich sources and CT-rich sources were mixed. Combining the 2 sources of HT did not show associative effects on fermentation or CH4 production (P > 0.05). Hydrolyzable tannin-rich sources were more effective in suppressing methanogenesis than CT-rich sources. Our results show that HT-rich A. nilotica leaves and pods have the potential to reduce ruminal CH4 production.

Soil salinity is one of the important abiotic stresses affecting plant growth and development. Halophytes can be one of the options to explore the salt tolerance potential and to identify the potential gene(s) which can be used in crop improvement programs. In view of this, the present experiment was conducted on grass halophyte, Dichanthium annulatum, which can tolerate soil salinity up to EC 30 dS/m (~ 300 mM NaCl) to identify the gene(s) for salt tolerance. The de novo assembly generated 267,196 transcripts and these assembled transcripts were further clustered into 188,353 transcripts. An average of 64.47% of the transcripts was functionally annotated against the viridiplantae databases since no genomic reference is available for Dichanthium. Gene ontology and pathways analysis using KAAS database identified that 48.13% transcripts were involved in molecular function, 37.21% in cellular component and 14.66% in biological processes. The annotation of these genes provides a pathway analysis for their putative functions under salt stress conditions.

Dichanthium annulatum (Forssk.) Stapf in D.Oliver & auct. suc. (eds.), Fl. Trop. Afr. 9: 178 (1917). Distribution: Trop. & Subtrop. Old World Specimens: MOSHI Kware, Haarer, A.E. 1072 (K)., Published as part of Prunera-Olivé, Joan, Vorontsova, Maria S., Williams, Emma V., Mollel, Neduvoto P. & Hemp, Andreas, 2021, Checklist of Kilimanjaro grasses shows that both plot and herbarium methods are necessary to record diversity, pp. 201-244 in Phytotaxa 501 (2) on page 220, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.501.2.1, http://zenodo.org/record/5424816

The genus Dichanthium occurs naturally throughoutnSouthern Asia with representation in Africa and Australia. Untll now, the group has not been subjected to intensive selection by humans, so does not include any Improved strains. Many ot the species are considered as valuable native grassesnin certain countries.D. sericeum is highly regarded is Queensland but hasnbeen replaced in many areas through covergrazing. In ordernto ascertain whether this species is worth reseeding, itsnpasture attributes have been evaluated. It is considerednthat it is valuable but lacks the ability to grow in winternand is not capable of creeping growth.Introduced species, D. annulatum, D. aristatum, D. caricosum and D. papillosum have been tested to some extent and have beeen found to have manyndesirable attributes. Some strains remain green throughnthrough the winter at Gattton andnothers save the ability to creep vigorously. n n

In recent years sheep, farming has emerged as an alternative production system especially in dry areas. The use of leaves and fruit from some trees has become an alternative for feeding for ruminants; however, studies on these species are scarce. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of S. spectabilis fruit meal on in vivo and in vitro digestibility, blood metabolites, and ruminal kinetics in hair lambs. This study was carried out at Las Brisas farm, University of Tolima - Colombia. Twelve male hair lambs with body weight of 20.3 ± 2.5 kg were used. Animals were distributed in an experimental 4x4 Latin square design. The treatments consisted of diets based on Dichanthium spp hay with different inclusion levels of S. spectabilis fruit meal (15, 30, and 45%). A linear increasing effect (P

Usable space for northern bobwhites (Colinus virginianus) has declined significantly over the past 3 decades in Texas because non-native grasses have replaced native vegetation. We hypothesized that burning patches in pastures dominated by buffelgrass (Pennisetum ciliare) and Old World bluestems (Bothriochloa spp. and Dichanthium spp.) followed by livestock grazing would increase limiting habitat attributes, thereby increasing usable space and bobwhite demographic parameters and population densities. Our study was conducted during 2009–2011 in LaSalle County, Texas on a ranch dominated by non-native grasses. Our experimental design was composed of 2 blocks with two 240-ha pastures, one control (graze only), and one treatment (patch-burn and graze) in each. We estimated grass standing crop in grazing exclosures (June–September) and habitat attributes along transects (October) 2009–2011. Bobwhites were captured and monitored via radiotelemetry 2–3 times/wk during March–November. Means of vegetation metrics important to bobwhites such as bare ground, traversibility, and forb and subshrub cover were similar between control and treatment units in post-treatment years. However, grass standing crop tended to be lower in treatment (June and August 2010 and September 2011–110.5 ± 26.2 g/m2) compared with control units (June and August 2010 and September 2011–145.5 ± 58.6 g/m2). Plant species richness was also greater (21%) in treatment (4.6 ± 0.4/0.1 m2) compared with control units (3.8 ± 0.4/0.1 m2) during the last year of the study (P ≥ 0.057). Patch heterogeneity was increased in treatment units. There was an increase in bobwhite densities in treatment units, although demographic metrics remained similar between treatment and controls. Patch burning and grazing is a viable tool for managing monotypic non-native grasslands for bobwhites in semiarid environments.

The monotypic genus Pseudodichanthium Bor (1940: 272) is represented by the species Pseudodichanthium serrafalcoides (Cooke & Stapf 1908: 450) Bor (1940: 272) occurring in India and the Oman (Clayton et al. 2006). In India, the species is distributed in the Ahmednagar, Khandala, Kolhapur, Mahableshwar, Pune, Purandhar Fort, Raigad, Ratnagiri and Satara. Singh et al. (2015) have been reported this genus as endemic to India. The present investigation reveals that it is not endemic to India, and also occurs in the Saharo-Arabian region, in the country of Oman (Ghazanfar, 1992). The single species, P. serrafalcoides, is found in monsoon forests. Oman tends to have affinities with India in terms of climate in contrast to most of the Arabian Peninsula whose affinities are closer to continental Africa. Pseudodichanthium has been derived from Dichanthium Willemet (1796: 11) because of its unusual morphology characterised by the scarious lower glumes which are broadly winged with inflexed margins.

Once widespread, Australia's bluegrass tussock grasslands (dominated by Dichanthium sp.) of the Queensland Central Highlands are now severely endangered. Despite being biodiversity rich and highly valued as low input, nutrient-dense grazing systems, bluegrass tussock grasslands have suffered extensive clearing and degradation over the last 150 years. Natural recovery of these grasslands is possible but rates of recovery are slow. As such, there is an urgent need to assess practical management strategies to accelerate recovery of these grasslands, with a particular focus on early-successional stages, when aggressive exotic species are most prevalent. To date, no studies have tested whether commonly used grassland restoration strategies can enhance early-successional stages and accelerate regeneration in this system. Here, we examine the early short-term impacts (first two seasons) of two common grassland restoration approaches, with two variations each: direct seeding (single species and low seed diversity) and vegetation clearing (prescribed burning and glyphosate application) across two common starting points: a formerly cropped old field and a historically overgrazed natural grassland. No treatment increased native diversity (Shannon's or richness) in plots but the composition of burned plots in the old field did become more similar to healthy reference sites after two seasons. Burning combined with direct seeding also increased the abundance of the dominant grass, Dichanthium sericeum, toward healthy reference levels within the first two seasons post seeding. This study provides a practical assessment of the short-term impacts and capacity of common grassland restoration treatments to enhance the recovery of Australia's tussock grassland systems.

Dichanthium woodrowii (Hook. f.) S.K. Jain & Deshp. (Poaceae) is an endemic species known only from few localities of Maharashtra State. During floristic survey of Kachchh in 2015, D. woodrowii were collected for first time from Gujarat State. The detailed description, photography and field note of D. woodrowii provided for their easy identification.

In this study, 18 species of lignocellulosic biomass from Northeast India have been explored to utilize as new feedstock for biofuel production. The biomass sample were examined and characterized proximately and taxonomically for their energy content. The possibility of this lignocellulosic biomass in biofuel production was addressed. A well-documented herbarium specimen based on the morphological features clearly indicating systematic taxon was maintained. The ecological survey and distribution of the plants were applied and found three families, namely poaceae, cyperaceae and typhaceae. Taxonomical ranks were assigned to the collected biomass. Energy content in the form of higher heating value was calculated. The calorific value (MJ/kg) ranged from 7.507 to 14.969 MJ/kg. Our findings show that moisture content was highest in biomass sample Cyrtococcum oxyphyllum (12.55 ± 0.21) and lowest in Chrysopogon aciculatus (7.51 ± 0.25). Volatile matter content of biomass varies in the interval of 77.88 ± 0.20%–86.51 ± 0.27%. Ash content was very less (below 5%) for the biomass such as Cymbopogon longifolium (4.51 ± 0.26%), Saccharum sponteneum (4.58 ± 0.25%) and Cyrtococcum oxyphyllum (4.70 ± 0.10%). Dichanthium assimile (Steud.) Deshp. shows the highest cellulose (40.57%) composition than other species. Minimum cellulose percentage was found in biomass Setaria glauca (24.9%). In overall, this lignocellulosic biomass can be utilized to produce biofuel as they contained a high percentage of cellulose and hemicellulose with less lignin.

The objective of this work was to study nutritional strategies for decreasing methane production by ruminants fed tropical diets, combining in vitro and in vivo methods. The in vitro approach was used to evaluate the dose effect of condensed tannins (CT) contained in leaves of Gliricidia sepium, Leucaena leucocephala, and Manihot esculenta (39, 75, and 92 g CT/kg DM, respectively) on methane production and ruminal fermentation characteristics. Tannin-rich plants (TRP) were incubated for 24 h alone or mixed with a natural grassland hay based on Dichanthium spp. (control plant), so that proportions of TRP were 0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, and 1.0. Methane production, VFA concentration, and fermented OM decreased with increased proportions of TRP. Numerical differences on methane production and VFA concentration among TRP sources may be due to differences in their CT content, with greater effects for L. leucocephala and M. esculenta than for G. sepium. Independently of TRP, the response to increasing doses of CT was linear for methane production but quadratic for VFA concentration. As a result, at moderate tannin dose, methane decreased more than VFA. The in vivo trial was conducted to investigate the effect of TRP on different ruminal microbial populations. To this end, 8 rumen-cannulated sheep from 2 breeds (Texel and Blackbelly) were used in two 4 × 4 Latin square designs. Diets were fed ad libitum and were composed of the same feeds used for the in vitro trial: control plant alone or combined with pellets made from TRP leaves at 44% of the diet DM. Compared to TRP, concentration of Ruminococcus flavefaciens was greater for the control diet and concentration of Ruminococcus albus was least for the control diet. The methanogen population was greater for Texel than for Blackbelly. By contrast, TRP-containing diets did not affect protozoa or Fibrobacter succinogenes numbers. Hence, TRP showed potential for mitigating methane production by ruminants. These findings suggest that TRP fed as pellets could be used to decrease methane production.

Djufri, Wardiah. 2017. The diversity of undergrowth plants on Acacia nilotica stands as food resources of banteng (Bos javanicus) in Baluran National Park, East Java, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 18: 288-294. The objectives of this research were to determine species composition, importance value of species, diversity index and evenness index of the undergrowth plants of Acacia nilotica stands. The quadratic method was used in this study. The similarity indeks and cluster analysis were performed to classify the community structure of undergrowth plants of Acacia nilotica. The results of this study showed that there were 63 species of plant belonging to 18 families. The importance value ranged between 0.97-42.58 and high and medium importance values belonged to Brachiaria reptans, Thespesia lampas, Oplismenus burmannii, Dichanthium coricosum, Axonopus compressus, and Synedrella nodiflora. The diversity index and evenness ranged 1.1504-2.7556 and 1.1067-1.7854, respectivelly. The Brachiaria reptans, Dichantium coricosum, Thespesia lanpas, Achyrantes aspera, Stachytarpeta indica, Axonopus compressus and Oplismenus burmanii were predominant in study area. In addition the invasion of A. nilotica has decreased the carryng capacity of savanna in Baluran National Park to the banteng. Keywords: Acacia nilotica, species composition, banteng, Baluran National Park

International audience; Dietary strategies are options to mitigate enteric methane from ruminants. This trial has been performed to estimate the production of methane with a sugar-rich forage versus a high-fibre grass. Comparative intake, digestion and methane emission of whole Saccharum officinarum (sugarcane) plant and of Dichanthium sp. hay (from permanent grassland) were studied. Eight Blackbelly rams (40.1 ± 1.4 kg on average) were used in a 2 × 2 crossover design. All the animals received two diets ad libitum: whole sugarcane plant (WSC) supplemented with urea (4.2 g/kg dry matter) and a mature Dichanthium sp. hay (H). Measurements were: voluntary intake, total-tract digestibility, methane production using the SF6 method, rumen concentration of volatile fatty acids, ammonia and protozoa measured by counting. Organic matter intakes were similar between WSC and H treatments, averaging 48.0 g/LW0.75. Intakes of soluble carbohydrate (SC) were higher with WSC than with H (22.7 and 5.8 g/LW0.75, respectively for WSC and H; P

Aim: To determine the efficacy of the ALMANAC model in simulating leaf canopy growth and biomass production of a plant functional group, specifically “exotic warm-season perennial grasses,” represented by buffelgrass [Pennisetum ciliare (L.) Link] and “Old World Bluestems” (Bothriochloa Kuntze, Capillipedium Stapf, and Dichanthium Willemet). Study Design: Leaf area index (LAI) over the growing season, the light extinction coefficient (k) for Beer's Law, and the radiation use efficiency (RUE) were quantified for Old World Bluestems and buffelgrass. Place and Duration of Study: This study was conducted in central Oklahoma in 2005 and Research Article American Journal of Experimental Agriculture, 3(3): 631-650, 2013 632 2007 and in south-central Texas in 2008 and 2009. Methodology: Serial dates of measurement over the growing season of leaf area index, light extinction coefficient for Beer's Law, and the radiation use efficiency were used to quantify these growth parameters for simulation modeling. Results: All assayed grasses in the exotic warm-season perennial grasses functional group had similar values for LAI (mean = 4), k (mean = -0.5), and RUE (mean = 1.3 g MJ IPAR). Conclusion: When these parameters were applied in a simulation model, the model successfully simulated mean yields near the reported yields for exotic warm-season perennial grasses on all simulated soils in Texas and Oklahoma and in Mexico. These results suggest that with further parameterization, the applicability of such process-based models could be expanded from species simulation to functional group simulation, whereby land managers could determine potential adaptability, water use, soil erosion, and forage productivity of various plant functional groups over a wide range of soils and climatic conditions.

International audience; An in vivo trial was conducted in sheep to investigate the effect of three tropical tannin-rich plants (TRP) on methane emission, intake and digestibility. The TRP used were leaves of Glyricidia sepium, Leucaena leucocephala and Manihot esculenta that contained, respectively, 39, 75 and 92 g condensed tannins/kg DM. Methane was determined with the sulphur hexafluoride tracer technique. Eight rumen-cannulated sheep of two breeds (four Texel, four Blackbelly) were used in two 4 × 4 Latin square designs. Four experimental diets were tested. They consisted in a tropical natural grassland hay based on Dichanthium spp. fed alone (C) or in association with G. sepium (G), L. leucocephala (L) or M. esculenta (M) given as pellets at 44% of the daily ration. Daily organic matter intake was higher in TRP diets (686, 984, 1054 and 1186 g/day for C, G, L and M respectively; p < 0.05) while apparent organic matter total tract digestibility was not affected (69.9%, 62.8%, 65.3% and 64.7% for C, G, L and M respectively; p > 0.05). Methane emission was 47.1, 44.9, 33.3 and 33.5 g/kg digestible organic matter intake for C, G, L and M, respectively, and was significantly lower (p < 0.05) for L and M than for G and C. Our results confirm the potential of some TRP to reduce methane production. The strong decrease in methane and the increase in intake with TRPs may be due to their presentation as pellets.

Conservation and restoration efforts of native grasslands are being hindered by invasive, exotic plants. Exotic bluestem grasses ( Bothriochloa and Dichanthium spp.) have become increasingly invasive throughout the rangelands of the central and southern Great Plains, United States. Accordingly, the aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of glyphosate, imazapyr, and imazapyr + glyphosate treatments with or without disking to remove exotic bluestems from a south Texas coastal prairie. We evaluated three different control regimens: 1) herbicide treatments only, 2) herbicide treatments followed by two diskings (H + D), and 3) disking followed by herbicide treatments (D + H). Percent exotic bluestem, native grass, and forb cover were visually estimated at 0 (pre-treatment: May 2006), 20, 52, and 104 wk after treatment (WAT). The herbicide-only and H + D regimens were ineffective at controlling exotic bluestems. However, exotic bluestem cover in herbicide-treated plots of the D + H regimen was significantly lower ( P ≤ 0.05) compared to control plots and most treatment plots of the herbicide-only and H + D regimens up to 52 WAT. Control regimens did not notably facilitate an increase in native grass cover from pre-treatment levels, but native grass cover remained the highest, and increased the most, in some imazapyr-treated plots of the herbicide-only and D + H regimens, respectively. In the H + D and D + H regimens, disking resulted in a flush of forb cover (up to 50%) at 52 WAT; yet forb cover was ≤ 5% in these plots by 104 WAT. Exotic bluestem cover recovered back to, or was greater than, pre-treatment levels among most treatment plots across all three control regimens at 104 WAT. This study suggests that follow-up control measures are needed to suppress the re-invasion of exotic bluestems after initial control efforts. Additional studies are needed to evaluate other strategies to control exotic bluestems in rangelands of the central and southern United States.

Greuter W. & Raab-Straube E. von (ed.): Euro+Med Notulae, 5 [Notulae ad floram euro-mediterraneam pertinentes 27], — Willdenowia 41: 129–138. — Online ISSN 1868-6397; © 2011 BGBM Berlin-Dahlem. doi: 10.3372/wi.41.41117 (available via http://dx.doi.org/) This is the fifth of a series of miscellaneous contributions, by various authors, where hitherto unpublished data relevant to the Euro+Med (or Sisyphus) Project are presented. This instalment deals with the families Betulaceae, Chenopodiaceae, Leguminosae, Plumbaginaceae, Portulacaceae, Ranunculaceae, Salicaceae and Gramineae, including new country and area records for taxa of Avena, Chamaecytisus (Cytisus), Dichanthium, Eragrostis, Festuca, Holcus, Poa and Portulaca, and the validation of names in the genera Alnus, Anemonastrum, Dactylis, Homalotrichon, Limonium, Salix and Salsola.

Eight undescribed species of Claviceps were recognized from the combinations of molecular and morphological characters. The teleomorph was observed only for Claviceps setariicola. Phylogenetic affinities of the new species inside the genus were revealed by a 5.8S-ITS-28S nrDNA analysis. Claviceps chloridicola, C. tenuispora, C. setariicola and C. setariiphila are related to C. maximensis; C. truncatispora is a sister species to C. pusilla. Claviceps clavispora and C. langdonii cluster with species colonizing maize and sorghum. The position of C. loudetiae is unclear. Comparisons with herbarium specimens showed C. setariicola as a well-established species on Setaria spp. in the southern USA. C. tenuispora was recorded on Cenchrus and Pennisetum in Brazil, USA, and Zimbabwe. C. setariiphila was found on S. geniculata in Brazil. C. chloridicola, C. loudetiae and C. truncatispora occurred in African savannas on Chloris, Loudetia, and Hyparrhenia spp., respectively. C. clavispora was found on Paspalum sp. and Urochloa sp. in Mexico and C. langdonii colonized Dichanthium spp. in the southern USA and probably in Mexico. The occurrence of C. pusilla on pearl millet in the USA (Texas) is reported and the record of C. sulcata on Urochloa brizantha in Brazil is confirmed by nrDNA sequence comparison with an African herbarium specimen. No alkaloids were detected in sclerotia and/or sphacelia of the new species.

The present study was carried out to determine the micro-morphology of some species of Dichanthium Willemet (Poaceae) from Maharashtra. Species of Dichanthium were collected from the different localities of Maharashtra for detailed micro-morphological study. Epidermal studies pertains to epidermal cell size, presence and absence of micro-hairs, papillae, its types of silica bodies of species of Dichanthium. All the 7 studied members show the variation in the types and arrangement of the epidermal cells of leaf.

The study focuses on the genus Bothriochloa (Andropogoneae, Poaceae) in Australia. Despite morphological features separating this genus from the closely related two genera Capillipedium and Dichanthium, (the three hereafter will be called BCD), De Wet and Harlan introduced the compilospecies complex to show the interbreeding phenomena that occurred among species of these genera. This study was carried out to assess species/genus relatedness of the BCD complex using different evidences from morphology, molecular information and genomic content. Nineteen morphological characters were observed, three regions (trnT-F, rps16 intron and 3'trnK) of chloroplast genome phylogenetic were used in phylogenetic reconstruction, and chromosome counting as well as flow cytometry for chromosome number and genome size were conducted during the study. Phylogenetic trees were constructed using MP with NJ for morphological data, and MP, RAxML, and BI for molecular data. Based on morphology, all three genera were separated as monophyletic units. Bothriochloa consisted of two clades. However, phylogenetic analyses based on chloroplast genomic regions reveal that Bothriochloa and Dichanthium are paraphyletic clades and only Capillipedium is resolved as a monophyletic clade. The concatenated data set has performed better than individual data sets in terms of resolution and support for clades. Flow-cytometry and chromosome counting only found diploid and tetraploid but not hexaplod species. TCS network reveals that tetraploidization followed different pathways from the ancestral diploid species. This study provided new insight onto the evolution of the chloroplast genome in the compilospecies and empirical evidence of species grouping of the compilospecies based on morphology. Master of Science

Thirty genotypes of Dichanthium annulatum collected from natural grasslands observed all tetraploid (2n=4x=40) in nature with reported basic chromosome number 10. Of the 30 accessions, 56.6% showed only bivalents and 42.33% exhibited at least 1 or more quadrivalents formation. Accession IG97-130 only showed 2 univalents formation at diakinesis. These lines were histologically analyzed under control and imposed water stress showed variation in levels of shrinkage in stomata, parenchyma and companion cells. Accessions like IG-3108, IGTGD-4, IGKMD-10 and IGBANG-D-2 indicated more shrinkages of stomata and other cells in stress whereas IG95-30, IG97-234 and IG97-233 indicated least and rest of the accessions showed moderate level of changes in stomata and associated cells. Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis was employed to characterize these 30 lines. The 25 primers, selected from 150 initially screened, generated 208 amplification products of which 175 (84%) amplicons were polymorphic. Statistical analysis was carried out using NTSYS-pc software and a dendrogram was generated using Dice's similarity coefficients. The values for similarity ranged from 0.62 to 1.00. Cluster analysis showed 2 major clusters apart from the isolation of IGBANG-D-2 accession from the 2 major clusters. Cluster I consists of 13 and II of 16 accessions and these 2 joined at the similarity of 0.73. Three accessions showing least histological changes in stomata and associated cells clustered in cluster I. The Polymorphic Information Content (PIC) of RAPD markers with 30 Dichanthium genotypes ranged from 0.11 to 0.50 and Marker Index (MI) from 0.44 to 5.86 indicated suitability of such markers for genetical analysis of Dichanthium.

One hundred decamer arbitrary primers were tested for PCR based amplification of seven genotypes (IG2208-S-1, IG2177, IG2180, IG2178, IG2165-S-1-1, IG2165-1 and Local-1) of an apomictic grass, Dichanthium annulatum, with the aim of screening polymorphic primers and genotype-specific markers. Out of 100 decamer primers tested, 42 produced no amplification or smeared non scorable bands, 12 amplified only single band and 46 yielded more than one polymorphic bands. Thirty-two primers out of 46 selected showed high level of polymorphism, producing 3–15 reproducible bands each for the seven Dichanthium genotypes examined. Among the total of 307 amplified fragments 222 were polymorphic, 53 bands were unique to the genotypes and 32 were monomorphic. Thus, with selected primers sufficient polymorphism could be detected to allow identification of individual genotypes. Genetic similarities of RAPD profiles generated were estimated via a coefficient of DICE and then the data were processed by cluster analysis (UPGMA). The maximum similarities between two genotypes (IG2180 and IG2178) was 58% and these two made a cluster with genotype IG2177 having similarity of only 54%. It clearly corroborated existence of high levels of polymorphism in this grass though being apomictic in nature. Primers like OPE-16, OPG-02, OPG-18, OPH-05, OPH-09, OPH-16, OPI-07 and OPF-06 found most informative as they produced specific bands pertaining to five out of seven genotypes. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) offers a substantially simple, rapid and reliable method for identification of large number of Dichanthium genotypes once enough number of reproducible and suitable primers is screened.

Twenty graminaceous plant species were evaluated for their susceptibility to the two sorghum ergot pathogens Claviceps sorghi and Claviceps africana. Five species viz., Sorghum arundinaceum, Sorghum halepense, Sorghum versicolor, Sorghum virgatum and Pennisetum glaucum were found to become infected by both pathogens via inoculation with 106 conidia/ml. Species which did not become infected under these conditions included Pennisetum pedicellatum, Zea mays, and species of Panicum, Brachiaria, Cenchrus, Andropogon, Dichanthium, Chrysopogon, Iseilema, Bothriochloa and Chloris. Honeydew secretions were observed from infected flowers of susceptible plant species. There was marked variation in size of macroconidia of both C. sorghi and C. africana on different hosts on which the pathogens were able to establish symptoms. Dimorphism was observed for macroconidia produced on P. glaucum, as elliptical and spindle shaped macroconidia were observed. Based on inoculation under greenhouse conditions, we conclude that C. sorghi and C. africana may have similar host ranges.

Selective grazing by ruminant livestock and other herbivores causes difficulties in measuring or estimating the chemical composition and functional properties (digestibility and intake) of the diets of free grazers. New methodologies using faecal near infrared reflection spectroscopy (NIRS) offers scope to estimate diet quality in grazing animals once suitable calibration equations have been developed. This study was conducted to determine the potential of faecal NIRS to predict crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fibre (NDF), acid detergent fibre (ADF) and organic matter digestibility (OMD) of the diet of cattle grazing tropical grass pastures as well as organic matter intake (OMI). Reference data and faecal spectra were measured from a pen experiment in which 11 Creole steers (were individually housed and fed diets of fresh grass harvested from irrigated plots of (i) Digitaria decumbens and (ii) Dichanthium spp. The experiment ran for 70 days (14 days adaptation, 56 days measurement) and variation in diet quality was achieved by varying the age of grass regrowth after an initial mowing. Grass samples and faecal samples were bulked within each week of the measurement period within steer. The 88 dried and milled faecal samples (11 steers × 8 weeks) were scanned in a NIR Systems 5000 monochromator. Faecal spectra and reference data were used to calibrate and cross validate equations for predicting the various parameters using the Modified Partial Least Squares (MPLS) procedure. Derived standard errors of calibration (SEC) and coefficients of determination (R2) were 0.33 and 0.98% for dietary CP, 0.96% and 0.88 for NDF, 0.81% and 0.89 for ADF, 0.021 and 0.72 for OMD, and 4.62 g/kg of (body weight)0.75 and 0.61 for OMI. These values compared favourably with published faecal NIRS reports, where available for CP and OMD, and also with many published forage NIRS results and confirmed the potential of faecal NIRS as a technology for reliably predicting the chemical composition and functional properties of diets in grazing cattle. © 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Dominant plant species in semi-arid environments differ in their effects on litter decomposition. The present study was conducted to investigate the contribution of dominant plant species found in a natural semi-arid grassland to nutrient cycling through their litter decomposition. Aboveground litter (stems and leaves) of Dichanthium ischaemum , Chrysopogon gryllus , Festuca ovina and Trifolium purpureum was placed on the soil for 24 months and chemical characteristics were monitored. The rate of mass loss from stems was significantly lower than that of leaves for all species. The influence of mesh size on the studied parameters for both leaves and stems was similar in most cases for the grass species, Chrysopogon and Festuca (e.g. litter, lignin, TNSC, Energy and Total C, N, K, Ca). Generally, mean decomposition rate ( k ′= k ×10 5 ) had the highest value for Trifolium ( k ′=188), followed by Dichanthium ( k ′=133), Chrysopogon ( k ′=120) and Festuca ( k ′=118). Chrysopogon and Festuca by being the most dominant species in the grassland and having low decomposition rates contribute more organic matter to the soil.

So far, little has been done on the effect of nitrogen fertilizer on intake and digestibility in tropical grazing conditions. The effect of two nitrogen levels, 0 (NF) and 50 kg/ha (F) for three successive grazing cycles, on organic matter intake (OMi) and digestibility (OMd) for Creole heifers (208 kg live weight) was determined. Two groups of four tethered heifers, allowed 18 kg of dry matter daily, grazed individual NF or F circular areas at 28 re-growth days. The heifers were moved and watered daily. Sward characteristics (height, herbage mass, morphological and chemical composition and in situ tiller measurements), OMi, OMd and feeding behaviour (biting rate, bite size, intake rate, grazing and ruminating times) were evaluated simultaneously per circular area.Under nitrogen fertilizer, the stems elongated rapidly (by 133%) as did the leaves, but to a lesser extent (by 40%). Consequently, canopy height, leaf and stem masses and crude protein content increased (respectively by 100%, 66%, 186% and 40%), while total bulk density decreased (by 10·5%). Throughout the successive grazing cycles, there was a particular effect on leaf number, both in the F and NF swards, whereas this parameter was not affected by the fertilizer level. Under fertilizer, OMi and OMd were both 9% greater than for the NF sward. The increase in herbage CP content partly explains the rise in OMi, and there is evidence that rumen load has a determining effect on OMi. Leaf mass is the major factor accounting for the 9% increase in OMd under fertilizer regime. On the other hand, whatever the fertilizer regime, OMd was positively influenced by the greater leaf number throughout the grazing cycles. Biting rate, bite size and intake rate were determined respectively by sward height, CP content and stem fraction, whereas grazing and ruminating times were partially influenced by sward characteristics.

Remerciements à Pierre Mulciba et Angebert Nepos pour assistance technique; The present model is targeted to simulate the diet of animals in tropical pastures, starting from underlying measurements carried out at the level of the tiller. Practically, we used measurements carried out at the following two levels: (1) on many tillers identified in the sward with rings and measured in various conditions (stages of regrowth, more or less fertilised and or irrigated), (2) on plots grazed individually by heifers tethered during 24 h, with measurements of both the forage and the animal faeces, for assessing their diet. The first step consisted in building a mechanistic model of the morphological grass growth calibrated on measurements performed on Dichanthium spp. at five vegetative stages of growth. In the process of growth, the principal stem was the major driving force, and the senescence of leaves was followed by their disappearance. The compartments represent lengths of stem or leaves. Taking into account the diversity of kinetics of the leaf appearance and growth, they were pooled in three types, according to their appearance process (two lower leaves, four leaves in the middle and the others at the upper level). In a second step, the impact of animal bites was included as an auxiliary variable in the model, taking into account the information at the level of the tillers and at the plot level. The impact of animal depends on the characteristics of the tiller, the length (or mass) and of the leaf characteristics, e. g. the leaves fraction in the sward. Afterwards, the information obtained at the tiller level and from the plot was compared. With a bottom-up approach it is possible to predict at a daily scale, starting from the tiller measurements, the dry matter intake and the organic matter digestibility, both measured at the plot level. Conversely, in a top-down approach, the information measured at the plot level were useful for adjusting the information acquired at the level of the tillers, e. g. the estimates of organic matter digestibility of the stems and the leaves at the plot level, allowing to assess the factors of variation of the organic matter digestibility of the consumed parts of a tiller, by the animal. These first results are encouraging and this model seems to promise a more complete mechanistic model of grazing cattle in tropical environment.

Two experiments were carried out in Guadeloupe to estimate the organic matter intake (OMI) and digestibility (OMD) of a Dichanthium spp. sward, grazed by tethered Creole heifers [mean live weight (LW) 202 ± 2·0 kg], at three daily herbage allowances. Experiment 1 examined herbage allowances of 16, 25 and 31 kg of dry matter (DM) d–1 on a fertilized sward at 21 days of regrowth whereas, in experiment 2, lower allowances of 11, 15 and 19 kg DM d–1 were examined on the same sward, which was unfertilized and grazed at 14 days of regrowth. In each experiment, the herbage was grazed with three groups of two heifers in a 3 × 3 Latin square design. Sward characteristics were described before grazing. OMI was calculated from total faecal output, and OMD was predicted from the crude protein (CP) content of the faeces. The amount of herbage defoliated by the heifers was also estimated on tillers selected at random. Organic matter intakes were on average 26 g and 19 g OM kg–1 LW, and OMD values were 0·740 and 0·665 for Experiments 1 and 2, respectively, and were not affected by allowance. In Experiment 1, the herbage quality was high [0·50 of leaf and 116 g CP kg–1 organic matter (OM)] for a tropical forage, whereas in Experiment 2, the quality of the herbage (0·27 of leaf and 73 g CP kg–1 OM) was lower. These differences were reflected in differences in intake and digestibility in the two experiments. The experimental tropical Dichanthium spp. swards can have intake characteristics similar to those of a temperate sward.

Three grass smuts are recorded from tropical Australia. Sporisorium simile destroys the inflorescence of its host Chionachne in tropical Western Australia. It is distinct from the inflorescence smut Sporisorium reilianum, here recognised for the first time on Chionachne, in Queensland, and from the ovary smut Ustilago polytocae, found on Chionachne in India. Recent use of binomials based on Ustilago holci-sorghi Rivolta for the smut named S. reilianum is discussed and not recommended. Ustilago brunkii is recorded from leaf sheath lesions on Dichanthium in tropical Western Australia. Comparison with a collection of this species from Texas, U.S.A. and with the type species of Jamesdicksonia from India indicates that U. brunkii is best placed in Jamesdicksonia. The identity of its known grass hosts in the U.S.A., Central America and Australia, and their significance in its taxonomy, are discussed.

The rate of litter loss, and the release of N, P, K, Ca during litter decomposition of two C4 plants (Dichanthium ischaemum L. and Chrysopogon gryllus L.) and one C3 plant (Festuca ovina H.) were studied for 24 months. This was achieved by placing leaf and culm litter in nylon screen bags close to the soil surface, sampling every three months to mease the changes in litter weight and chemical composition during the experimental period. Litter decomposition was faster during the first 12 months for both leaves and culms of all species. The order was D. ischaemum > F. ovina > C. gryllus. The mean rate litter loss for the 12 and 24 month period was similar for leaf and culm litter. Nitrogen accumulation was observed during the entire experimental period for all species. Phosphorus release had occurred during the experimental period in the decreasing order: C. gryllus > D. ischaemum > F. ovina. Potassium release was observed after 12 and 24 months in the decreasing order D. ischaemum > C. gryllus > F. ovina, while calcium was accumulating. The decomposition rates were similar for C4 and C3 plants and their contribution to nutrient cycling depended on the release of the various elements during decomposition.

Corallocytostroma ornicopreoides sp. nov. is described and illustrated from large (up to 3 cm diam.) conidiomata and sclerotia found on the living stems of four perennial grasses, Astrebla elymoides, A. pectinata, A. squarrosa and Dichanthium fecundum, in northern Western Australia and the Northern Territory. It is compared with Corallocytostroma oryzae, the only other species in the genus.

The effect of shading by a shrub legume on the growth and nutrient uptake of a C4 tropical grass was studied during four regrowth cycles. Regrowth periods were characterised by contrasting soil water availability. Dichanthium aristatum (Poir.) C. E. Hubbard swards were grown in full sun and under Gliricidia sepium (Jacq.) Walp. and Leucaena leucocephala (Lam.) de Wit with a light transmission level ranging from 80 to 30% of the incoming photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), depending on shrub regrowth. A treatment with high N and water supply was included in one of the cycles to quantify the effect of shade alone on potential growth.

A new smut fungus, Sporisorium capillipedii-alpini (Ustilaginales), and a new species of grass, Capillipedium alpinum (Poaceae), on which it is growing, are described and illustrated. The collections were made in western Sichuan, China. Capillipedium alpinum differs from other species of Capillipedium by its diminutive size and short, slender inflorescence. Sporisorium capillipedii-alpini is compared with the species of Sporisorium with similar symptoms (destroying all spikelets of an inflorescence) that infect Capillipedium , Botriochloa , and Dichanthium . The new smut fungus differs from these species as follows: from Sporisorium taianum by having larger spores with minutely echinulate spore walls, from S. dichanthicola by having larger spores, from S. sahayae by having lower spore wall ornamentation and thinner spore walls, from S. andropogonis-annulati by having larger spores, and smaller sterile cells with thinner walls, and from S. mysorense by possessing minutely echinulate spore walls and differently colored spores and sterile cells. The types of S. andropogonis-annulati , S. mysorense, and S. sahayae were re-examined and detailed descriptions of these species are given. A key to the smut fungi of Sporisorium , that infect Capillipedium , Botriochloa , and Dichanthium and destroy all spikelets of the inflorescence of an infected plant, is also provided.