**2. Bana botanical description and genetic variation**

**Kingdom**: Plantae, **Orde**r: Poales: **Family**: Poaceae, **Genus**: *Pennisetum*, **Species**: *P. Purpureum*

#### **2.1. Reproductive biology**

*Bana grass* is mainly vegetative propagation, though sexual reproduction has been reported in some apomictic species of Bana grass. The apomictic species is an unpredictable seed producer, and in some environments, it seldom develops seeds, probably due to low pollen viability. Produced they are dispersed by wind but viability via this method is often very low.

#### **2.2. Physiology and phenology**

*P. purpureum* is a fast-growing perennial grass that flowers at different times of the year depending on climatic condition, for example, in Florida, the grass flowers between July and February. In Mexico and Central America, flowering occurs all year long with peaks from December to May. In South Africa, this species flowers from January to June. As many other C4 grasses, *P. purpureum* is well adapted to environments with high daytime temperatures, intense sunlight, drought, and nitrogen and/or CO<sup>2</sup> limitation. Though the grass grows best during the rainy season, its deep root system allows it to survive long drought periods.

#### **2.3. Morphology**

The name Bana is derived from the acronym **ba** in Babala and **na** from Napier. However, some authors reiterate that the word Bana is from the word Ghana, the nation where it is abundantly grown. For better and maximum yields, the grass can be grown in warm climates that receive annual rainfall ranging from 750 to 2500 mm. Bana is susceptible to frost and therefore does not perform well in frost-prone regions. In Kenya and other African countries, Bana is the most common fodder crop where it is used to feed smallholder dairy cows and supplement beef animals during the dry winter [2]. With the high cost of commercial supplementation in dairy production, Bana grass provides a cost-effective way of improving milk production [4]. The popularity of Bana grass is associated with its drought-tolerant nature, its low nutrient requirement, and its ability to resist pests and diseases. In the past, Bana has been used chiefly for grazing; lately, however, it has been incorporated into a pest management approach and can also be used as a source of fuel and as wind break in homesteads or banana plantations. The grass has shown potential at attracting stem borer moths away from maize and hence is the "pull" crop [13]. This strategy is much more sustainable, serves more purposes, and is more affordable for farmers than insecticide use. Furthermore, Bana grass improves fertility of the soil especially when reinforced with legumes, and like many other robust grasses, Bana protects soil against erosion. It is also utilized for firebreaks, windbreaks, in paper pulp production, and most recently to produce bio-oil, biogas, and charcoal. The grass resembles sugarcane in appearance. It is characterized by pale green leaves and can grow up to 4 m. Bana grass is tolerant to drought and can be grown even on infertile lands. Bana is mainly propagated vegetatively, that is, through cuttings though some seed producing varieties have been reported but are not very common. Under good management, Bana yields up to 80 tons per hectare, but this can go down to 10 if fertilization and watering regime are poor. Frequent defoliation improves herbage quality but reduces herbage yield [12]. Knowledge gap in production and values of Bana limits Bana production in the subtropi-

cal regions. Literature publishing and dissemination will help alleviate this gap.

**Kingdom**: Plantae, **Orde**r: Poales: **Family**: Poaceae, **Genus**: *Pennisetum*, **Species**: *P. Purpureum*

*Bana grass* is mainly vegetative propagation, though sexual reproduction has been reported in some apomictic species of Bana grass. The apomictic species is an unpredictable seed producer, and in some environments, it seldom develops seeds, probably due to low pollen viability. Produced they are dispersed by wind but viability via this method is often very low.

*P. purpureum* is a fast-growing perennial grass that flowers at different times of the year depending on climatic condition, for example, in Florida, the grass flowers between July and February. In Mexico and Central America, flowering occurs all year long with peaks from

**2. Bana botanical description and genetic variation**

**2.1. Reproductive biology**

146 Forage Groups

**2.2. Physiology and phenology**

Bana grass is a robust, rhizomatous, tufted perennial grass. The root system of Bana grass is vigorous and it develops from the nodes of its creeping stolons. The culms can reach a height of 4–7 mm and usually coarse and perennial. The grass forms dense thick clumps, up to 1 m across [6]. The leaves have a blue-green color and are flat, linear, and hairy at the base, with a length of 100–120 cm and a width range of 1–5 cm. The midrib for the Bana grass leaf can be easily seen with naked eyes, and the margins of its leaves are flimsily toothed. Bana produces no seeds at all; if ever seeds are produced, there will be very small seeds (3 million seeds/kg). Bana grass resembles sugarcane in appearance (*Saccharum officinarum*), the reason why some people call it sugarcane grass or elephant grass, but it is easily distinguished from sugarcane because of its leaves that are narrow leaves and the stems that are taller reaching up to a height of 4 m.
