Detailed Explanation of Key Cultivation Techniques for Hybrid Pennisetum

Fountain grass (scientific name: Pennisetum alopecuroides (L.) Spreng) is a perennial. Its fibrous roots are relatively stout. The culms are erect and tufted, densely covered with soft hairs below the inflorescence. The leaf sheaths are smooth, compressed on both sides, with the midrib forming a ridge; those at the base are clasping, while those on the upper part of the culm are longer than the internodes; the ligule has cilia about 2.5 mm long; the leaf blades are linear, with wart-like hairs at the base. The panicle is erect; the main axis is densely covered with soft hairs; the peduncle is 2-3 (-5) mm long; the bristles are pale green or purple; the anther tips are hairless; the styles are united at the base. The caryopsis is oblong. The epidermal cell structure of the leaf blade differs between the upper and lower epidermis; the upper epidermis is long and tubular with wavy patterns; the lower epidermis is long and tubular with thick walls. The flowering and fruiting period is summer and autumn.

Growth Habits of Fountain Grass

It prefers a cold and humid climate. It is drought-tolerant and tolerant of poor sandy soil. Fertile, slightly moist sandy land should be chosen for cultivation. It grows in marshes. Its stems, leaves, and spikelets all resemble those of millet, are purple in color, and are hairy.

Main Producing Areas of Fountain Grass

In China, it is distributed in all provinces and regions from Northeast China, North China through East China, Central South China, and Southwest China; it mostly grows on field banks, wasteland, roadsides, and small hillsides at altitudes of 50-3,200 m. It is also distributed in Japan, India, Korea, Myanmar, Pakistan, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Oceania, and Africa.

How is hybrid pennisetum cultivated?

Variety selection: It is a hybrid of American pennisetum and purple pennisetum. When its stems and leaves are used to feed herbivorous fish, the feed conversion ratio is 25-30, and its palatability to fish is also inferior to that of Sudan grass. The cutting yield is 195-300 tonnes per hectare. It prefers warmth and humidity and can tolerate light frost, but it will freeze to death below 0°C, so it cannot overwinter naturally in the Yangtze River Basin. Hybrid plants can produce seeds. At present, first-generation hybrids are best propagated vegetatively. Stem segment cutting and root division methods are used for planting. Propagation method: The first step is overwintering and stock preservation. Before the first frost, select strong, firm stems that have been growing for more than 100 days as seed stems, cut them from the base of the plant, remove the tips, and remove the hanging leaves for later use. Alternatively, before growth stops in December, dig up the entire root of the plant, leaving only about 5 cm of the stem base and removing the rest. There are many methods for overwintering and heat preservation; a film greenhouse is the most effective. Depending on the quantity of stock preserved, large or small sheds can be built. This method can both overwinter and preserve stock and also propagate; the seedlings can also grow early and tiller early the following year. The specific method is to loosen and level the soil in the greenhouse, cut the reserved seed stems into small segments 12-13 cm long, each with one stem node, with the stem node leaning toward the lower third, and insert the lower end of the seed stem upright into the soil so that the stem node is 3-3.5 cm below the soil surface; the upper and lower ends must not be reversed. If roots are used for overwintering, plant the entire root into the soil, leaving the retained basal stem exposed above the soil. The plant spacing is about 10 cm. After the seed stems and seed roots are planted in the soil, water them, and thereafter keep the greenhouse warm and humid. If only overwintering and stock preservation are intended, keep the storage temperature at 5-10°C; if the temperature is too high, ventilate appropriately to cool it down. For overwintering and stock preservation, the pit burial method can also be used: dig a shallow pit in a wind-protected, sunny place, place the seed stems neatly inside, cover with soil to a thickness of about 40 cm, and add more soil if the temperature is low, so as to keep the temperature inside the pit at about 7°C. The second step is transplanting. Transplanting can be done in early May when the temperature reaches about 15°C. First loosen and level the land and apply sufficient base fertilizer. If the root division method is used, cut the overwintered roots apart so that each root section has 1-2 young shoots. Do not injure the young shoots when cutting. The method of planting in the field can refer to the overwintering method above, but the plant and row spacing should be about 40-45 cm. Stem segments that have already sprouted and grown seedlings in the greenhouse can be directly transplanted at the above plant and row spacing. For those overwintered by the pit burial method, cut the seed stems into segments according to the stem segment overwintering method introduced earlier. Choose stem segments with protruding nodes and buds; the lower and older the stem segment, the higher the survival rate. Insert the selected stem segments upright into the soil, covering the stem nodes with about 6 cm of soil. The plant and row spacing are the same as above. Water after transplanting. In the Yangtze River Basin, cutting begins in early June, and a cutting height of 80-100 cm is best. Growth is fastest in June and July; with proper water and fertilizer, cutting can be done once every 10-15 days. From June to October, 8-10 cuttings can be made. In October, when the temperature drops below 20°C, growth gradually slows, and growth stops in mid-to-late December. The above four grasses are high-yielding and also have high fertilizer requirements. Sufficient base fertilizer must be applied; the base fertilizer is mainly organic fertilizer, such as barnyard manure at 10,500-15,000 kg per hectare, or 600 tonnes of fresh pond sludge (about 3 cm thick). For phosphorus-deficient soil, apply about 225-300 kg of superphosphate per hectare and plow it into the soil together with the organic fertilizer. During the cutting period, apply a topdressing once every 1-2 cuttings, using diluted livestock manure and urine or pond sludge slurry, and use little or no chemical fertilizer. The author found that chemical fertilizer reduces the disease resistance of Sudan grass. If chemical fertilizer is applied, it is recommended to apply ammonium sulfate at about 225 kg per hectare each time, and combine it with intertillage and loosening of the soil, burying the chemical fertilizer in the soil. The four grasses grow vigorously and have fewer weeds, but intertillage and weeding are still needed. After one or two cuttings, carry out intertillage once, and at the same time earth up around the roots. If pond sludge is used as a mulch for base fertilizer, there are generally no weeds and no intertillage is needed. Irrigate during drought, especially for Sudan grass, napier grass, and hybrid pennisetum. The four grasses have relatively few pests and diseases. In cases of drought, delayed irrigation, or fertilizer deficiency, more serious pests and diseases may occasionally occur. Depending on the pest and disease situation, choose low-toxicity and low-residue pesticides, and cut half a month after application or after rain to avoid poisoning fish.