What Is the Difference Between Barnyardgrass and Chinese Sprangletop? A Guide to Accurate Identification

Barnyardgrass and Chinese sprangletop are extremely common weeds in rice paddies, and because they look similar, they are rather difficult to tell apart, so what exactly is the difference between barnyardgrass and Chinese sprangletop?

1. Introducing barnyardgrass and Chinese sprangletop

1. Barnyardgrass

Barnyardgrass is an annual herbaceous plant in the grass family (Poaceae) and the genus Echinochloa, and its appearance is extremely similar to rice seedlings.

2. Chinese sprangletop

Chinese sprangletop is an annual plant in the grass family (Poaceae) and the genus Leptochloa, with erect culms 30-90 cm tall, glabrous leaf sheaths that are mostly shorter than the internodes, and a membranous ligule 1-2 mm long.

2. The difference between barnyardgrass and Chinese sprangletop

They can be distinguished by the parts where the leaf base wraps the stem (ligule, auricle, pulvinus): Chinese sprangletop has a pulvinus and auricles but no ligule; barnyardgrass has a pulvinus but no ligule or auricles.

Among these:

The ligule refers to the membranous protrusion on the ventral side where the leaf blade meets the leaf sheath;

The auricle refers to the pair of somewhat ear-shaped protrusions extending from the edges of the leaf base on either side of the ligule;

The pulvinus refers to the somewhat paler band-like structure on the outer side of the junction between the leaf blade and leaf sheath in grasses.

3. Control methods

1. Hand pulling: Because rice is transplanted or thrown after tillering, barnyardgrass and Chinese sprangletop grow naturally, so there are more branches near the roots; moreover, the area near the roots of barnyardgrass and Chinese sprangletop is much smoother than that of rice. Rice seedlings have hairs where the leaves divide, while barnyardgrass and Chinese sprangletop do not, so once they have grown a bit larger and are easier to distinguish, they can be pulled out.

2. Herbicide application: In direct-seeded fields, 2-4 days after sowing the sprouted seed, mix with 30-45 kg of water and spray evenly; keep the field surface moist before application and for 3-5 days after application, then return to normal field management. For transplanted fields and seedling-throwing fields, use quinclorac, quinclorac and quinclorac mixed formulations, etc., at 10-20 grams of active ingredient per mu, mixed with 30-45 kg of water and sprayed evenly.