German grass

Common names: German grass, Water Bermuda, Creeping River grass Perennial barnyard grass, Aleman grass, Carib grass.

Scientific Name: Echinochloa polystachya

Feed categories: Green roughages-cultivated fodder

Physical Characteristics:

German grass develops coarse stems from a creeping root base anchored in the soil. The stems may be as long as 2.0 m. They are unbranched and rigid, and long enough to withstand flowing and rising water levels the internodes are of equal length and equal diameter. The nodes are densely hairy. The leaves are linear to lanceolate, tapering to an acute point.  Leaves and leaf sheaths are smooth.  The grass is a light blue-green color.

Production / Availability:

German grass (Echinochloa polystachya) is a longstanding or aquatic or semi-aquatic forage species that grows in tropical and subtropical wetlands, mainly in natural wetlands and is considered a pond pasture. It originated in the tropics or subtropics of America and spread from the southern United States to Argentina. It is highly palatable fodder for cattle and, at the same time, provides a high yield. In Bangladesh, the annual biomass output of German grass ranged from 130 to 150 tons DM/ha depending on soil health, N-fertilization, season, age, and climatic conditions). German grass can grow in a wide range of soils with moderate to high fertility as long as they are not too wet and well drained. Cultivating the grass involves harvesting stems during the wet season when the grass is actively growing, trimming off the leaves and planting sets/cuttings with two to three nodes, 30 to 40 cm long, into mud with only one node showing. A fast-growing grass can be grazed or used in cut-and-carry systems, either to be directly fed or to make hay or silage. The grass is used as green fodder, silage and even for dry hay.