Barnyard grass, Echinochloa crusgalli
Weed Control Options 
Life Cycle
AnnualPropagation
Reproducing only by seed.Stems
Stems are erect, spreading or lying horizontally on the ground and bending upwards but rooting from nodes (a) in contact with the soil; stems 5 - 150 cm long, coarse, smooth, usually round in cross-section but occasionally much flattened.Leaves
Leaves are 5 - 50 cm long, 6 - 22 mm broad, deep green or somewhat purplish, hairless or with 1 to 3 solitary hairs (b) near the base of the blade (c); leaf sheaths split with overlapping margins (d); ligule absent (e); no auricles.Flowers and Fruit
Inflorescence 5 - 25 cm long having a central stem with several spreading, nearly erect, thick branches with rather dense clusters of spikelets; their colour varies from green to yellowish-green to dark purplish-green to almost black; each spikelet is covered with short, stiff hair and may either be awned or awnless; and contain a single fertile floret (“seed” or “grain”); awns straight or twisted (f), varying from 1 - 40 mm long; “seeds” about 3 mm long, hard, shiny, pale yellow, and rounded on one surface but flattened on the other. Flowers from July to August.Roots and Underground Structures
Barnyard grass roots are fibrous and shallow.Habitat
It occurs in cultivated fields, waste places, along road-sides, in gardens and occasionally in lawns, usually being more abundant in moist soil and becoming conspicuous in late summer and fall. It is distinguished from all other weedy grasses in Canada by the complete absence of a ligule (e) at the junction of leaf blade and leaf sheath, and its rather coarse, chunky inflorescence.Competitiveness
Corn yield loss (%)*:2 % at 1 plant/m2
7 % at 5 plant/m2
Soybean yield loss (%)*:
3 % at 1 plant/m2
12 % at 5 plant/m2
*assumes that the weed has emerged with the crop and has been left uncontrolled all season.
Distinguishing Features
It is distinguished from all other annual grasses by its complete lack of a ligule.Toxicity
Barnyard grass is not considered toxic.Human Health Issues
Barnyard grass may cause allergies (hayfever).Forage Quality
Currently no information available.Species Benefits
No information available at this time.Power Ranking Corn
Power ranking↑ 14
Power Ranking Soybeans
Power ranking↑ 20
Biological Control
Currently none available for this weed. Click here
for the latest research on biological weed control.Biopesticide Control
Currently none available for this weed.Herbicide Resistance
Triazine resistant (WSSA group 5) populations exist in Waterloo county (ON).For more information on weed resistance:
Click here
Media Items
Figure 1: Barnyard grass drawing. A. Plant B. Leaf-base C. Panicle. Top
Figure 2: No ligule, the only common annual grass without a ligule. Top
Figure 3: Leaf sheath is flat and hairless. Leaf margins are also hairless. Top
Figure 4: Seed heads: Central axis with lateral branches containing dense clusters of spikelets. Top
Figure 5: Whole plant. Top