Barnyard millet
(Common barnyard grass - Echinochloa crus-galli)

The name of the genus - Echinochloa - comes from the Greek words echinos - spiny, and chlce - grass, i.e., spiny grass.Barnyard grass is an annual late spring weed. It has a geniculate-curved stem, branched from the base, growing up to 80-100 cm tall. The leaves are broadly linear. The inflorescence is a panicle with 8-10 branches, which form false spikes. The spikelet glumes are rusty-brown and covered with stiff bristles. The grain is ovoid, light brown. Barnyard grass grows on all types of soils but prefers richer, slightly acidic, sandy-alluvial soils. It reproduces by seeds, which are dispersed by wind, water, and animals. Seeds germinate at temperatures above 25°C, mainly from the upper few centimeters of the soil. In the soil, they retain their germination capacity for up to 8 years. The weed flowers and bears fruit from July to October. One plant forms from 2850 to 5700 and up to 51 thousand seeds. Barnyard grass is a hygrophyte, nitrophyte, thermophilic, and heliophilic species. It is an indicator of rich soils.