Abstract

Kikuyu grass is a native of tropical Africa, which was first tried at the Central Farm, Coimbatore in 1924. A perennial grass of the runner type, this grass has now got established in the Nilgiris, Kodaikanal and Anamallais areas. Although at the Central Farm it was found not suitable for periodical cuttings like Guinea grass or Napier grass, on the hills, it is an excellent pasture grass and soil-binder, able to withstand both frost and water-logging. But its very virtues have made it one of the most aggressive and noxious weeds of hilly areas, especially when it grows on the bunds of cultivated fields as on the Nilgiris in potato fields; in the same way as two other imported ornamental plants, Lantana camara and Water hyacinth have become pernicious weeds on the plains. This paper presents the results of a preliminary trial that was carried out at the Agricultural Research Station, Nanjanad against Kikuyu grass, as the results seem sufficiently clear-cut to warrant publication.

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