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[R] Dactylis glomerata L. (Poaceae).
Fr: Dactyle; Ge: Knaulgras; Sp: Dactilo; It: Erba mazzolina; Pt: Dactilo.
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- Short (30 cm to 1 m), perennial, forage grass. The inflorescence is branched in panicles and composed of spikelets containing 2 to 5 flowers grouped in glomerules (*) .
- It is sown together with bird's foot trefoil, lucerne or white clover, and is generally used for grazing.
- It has a life of 4 to 10 years. It is usually sown in spring (March-April), occasionally in summer. It may be cut when the plant attains 20 cm. During the years after planting, it may be used as pasture at the 20-cm stage (the second use occurring after a pause), or ensiled after the appearance of the first spikes, or dried 10 to 15 days after their appearance.
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- Diseases: those of forage grasses.
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- Principal European pests: Those of forage grasses. The cocksfoot midges : Contarinia dactylidis (Loew), Dasineura dactylidis (Metcalfe) and Sitodiplosis dactylidis (Barnes) attack the inflorescence.

[R] Images

* Cookfoot grass (Minost C.)
a: stem flattened; b: leaf; c: inflorescence ramose, with spikelets arranged in compact groupes.
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