What is the difference between sweet elephant grass and elephant grass? A comparison and analysis of the main differences

Sweet elephant grass and elephant grass are both plants of the genus Pennisetum, and sweet elephant grass is a forage grass widely cultivated in tropical and subtropical regions with high application value, so what is the difference between sweet elephant grass and elephant grass?

1. What is the difference between sweet elephant grass and elephant grass?

Sweet elephant grass grows over 5 m tall, has 50-100 tillers, alternate leaves 40-100 cm long and 1-3 cm wide, with fine hairs on the leaf surface. It was developed from elephant grass, is sweet and suitable for livestock to eat. Elephant grass has upright stems 2-4 m tall, smooth or hairy nodes, and dense soft hairs at the base of the inflorescence. The leaf sheaths are smooth or have wart-like hairs, the ligule is short and small, and the leaf blades are linear, flat and rather hard.

2. How is sweet elephant grass planted?

1. Cultivation time: sweet elephant grass likes a warm and humid climate, has wide adaptability, can tolerate light frost, and is more cold-resistant than king grass. In frost-free areas it can be cultivated all year round; in frost areas it is generally from March to October, and seedlings can also be raised and transplanted at any time.

2. Apply sufficient base fertilizer: before transplanting seedlings into the field, apply 2000 kg of high-quality farmyard manure and 200 kg of superphosphate per mu. If there is no farmyard manure, apply 100 g each of compound fertilizer and superphosphate per hole and mix evenly with the subsoil.

3. Planting density: for cultivation as green feed, 2000-3000 plants per mu; for seed-stem propagation, trellis material and ornamental use, 800-1000 plants per mu; for fences, embankment protection and slope protection it should be denser, and irregular sloping land and mountain land depend on the specific situation.

4. Cultivation methods

(1) Trench planting: when planting in relatively flat fields or plots, dig planting trenches at different row spacings, about 14 cm deep, apply an appropriate amount of farmyard manure or calcium magnesium phosphate as base fertilizer at the bottom of the trench, then cover with 7 cm of fine soil, straighten the plants and firm the soil.

(2) Hole planting: when planting on hillside plots, choose good planting points and dig holes, preferably in a fish-scale pattern or by forming contour terraces for hole planting. The planting method is the same as trench planting, with 1 plant per hole.

(3) Division and transplanting: select seedlings from plants grown for 1-2 years that are vigorous and have many tillers, dig up three-quarters of the old clump together with the roots, damage the rhizomes as little as possible, remove the tender leaves at the upper end, and divide the plants manually. When planting, likewise use trench or hole planting.