Cenchrus purpureus

Cenchrus purpureus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Poales
Family: Poaceae
Subfamily: Panicoideae
Genus: Cenchrus
Species:
C. purpureus
Binomial name
Cenchrus purpureus
(Schumach.) Morrone

Cenchrus purpureus, synonym Pennisetum purpureum,[1] also known as Napier grass, elephant grass or Uganda grass, is a species of perennial tropical grass native to African grasslands.[2] It has low water and nutrient requirements, and therefore can make use of otherwise uncultivated lands.[3]

Historically, this wild species has been used primarily for grazing,[4] recently, however, it has been used as part of a push–pull agricultural pest management strategy. Napier grasses improve soil fertility, and protect arid land from soil erosion. It is also utilized for firebreaks, windbreaks, in paper pulp production and most recently to produce bio-oil, biogas and charcoal.[3] It also helps feed animals such as goat, rabbit, even pig, and cow .

  1. ^ Paudel, Dev; Kannan, Baskaran; Yang, Xiping; Harris-Shultz, Karen; Thudi, Mahendar; Varshney, Rajeev K.; Altpeter, Fredy; Wang, Jianping (2018-09-26). "Surveying the genome and constructing a high-density genetic map of napiergrass ( Cenchrus purpureus Schumach)". Scientific Reports. 8 (1): 14419. Bibcode:2018NatSR...814419P. doi:10.1038/s41598-018-32674-x. ISSN 2045-2322. PMC 6158254. PMID 30258215.
  2. ^ [Farrell, G., Simons, S. A., & Hillocks, R. J. (2002). Pests, diseases, and weeds of Napier grass, Pennisetum purpureum: a review. International Journal of Pest Management, 48(1), 39-48.]
  3. ^ a b [Strezov, V., Evans, T. J., & Hayman, C. (2008). Thermal conversion of elephant grass Pennisetum purpureum Schum) to biogas, bio-oil and charcoal. Bioresources Technology, 99, 8394-8399.]
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Khan was invoked but never defined (see the help page).