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Wild
Blueberry Fact Sheet
Poverty Oat Grass
Danthonia spicata L. Beauv. ex Roem. & Schult.
Other names: Wire-grass, wild oat grass, poverty grass, old
fog, bonnett grass, white horse, wild cat grass, June grass.
Description
Poverty oat grass is a tufted, perennial grass with a fibrous
root system. The leaves are narrow (up to 3 mm wide) and
7-15 cm long. There is a noticeable tuft of hairs at the
base of the leaf blade where the blade meets the stem. Most
of the leaves are short and curly and are found mostly around
the base of the plant. The inflorescence is an open loose
structure known as a panicle which can contain 1 to 50 florets.
The spikelets have a long twisted, stiff projection known
as an awn on the back of the floret. Environmental conditions
have a significant effect on the growth of this weed. On
dry, heavy soil this plant may often be less than 20 cm
high, whereas in moist shady sites, it can grow as high
as 70 cm.
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Poverty oat grass
Click picture to enlarge
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Economic Importance
Poverty oat grass is one of the most abundant grasses in
lowbush blueberry fields. It is found everywhere on poor
and sterile soils and is a native perennial grass in meadows,
old pastures and neglected fields. It has become abundant
in blueberry fields originating from such fields. Because
of its shallow root system, burning can provide significant
control. However, in mowed fields, the crown area is not
controlled by pruning and more dense stands can be expected
in mowed fields. In dense stands, poverty oat grass can
make grey-green mats or sod and will interfere with growth
of blueberry plants and harvesting.
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Life Cycle
Poverty oat grass is a perennial that regrows each year
from the crown area and reproduces primarily by seed. Seedlings
and regrowth from crowns appear in May, with flowering beginning
in late July to September. Enlargement of clumps is slow,
occurring at a rate of about 1-2 cm per year from tillering
from basal offshoots. In burnt fields, the plants usually
start from seedlings especially in the crop year, at which
time they become more noticeable. In mowed fields, plants
originate from both seeds and regrowth from the crown.
Control Strategy
This species is fairly easy to control in lowbush blueberries.
It can be controlled by currently registered treatments
for grasses. Some control can be obtained from burning,
which kills the basal area from where the plant re-grows
each year. Mowing is ineffective as a control measure.
As weed control programs shift to more selective herbicides
that do not control grasses, this weed can be expected
to increase in both frequency and density. |
Poverty Oat Grass
Click picture to enlarge
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Prepared by:
Sketch by:
Date: |
Glen Sampson, Nova Scotia Agricultural College,
Box 550, Truro, NS B2N 5E3
Debra Holmes-Sampson
January 1995 |
Updated January 15, 2001
This page and all contents Crown copyright ©
1997, Province of Nova Scotia,
all rights reserved. Lowbush Blueberry Fact Sheet
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