1. Sokoine University of Agriculture Official Publications

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    Kongwa weed (astropomoea hyoscyamoides) a threat to some grazing lands in North Eastern Tanzania.
    (Rangeland Society of Tanzania (RST), 2022) Ephraim J. Mtengeti
    A short study on the evaluation of the plant structure and seed production of Kongwa Weed (Astropomoea hyoscyamoides) was conducted in Mzeri Hill Ranch in August, 2017. Two transect lines running diagonally were fitted in the grazing field of 2.5 ha. The field was partly established with Cenchrus ciliaris, Chloris gayana and some parts was dominated by natural grasses mainly Cynodon nlemfuensis, Panicum infestum and Urochloa sp. The size of every sampling point was 2 m x 2 m and were 20 m apart along the diagonal line. A total of twelve sampling points was obtained in each diagonal line. In each sampling point only one mature tallest Kongwa weed plant was picked at random. Plant height of the main stem, total branches of the plant, and number of fruits from one of the selected branches were recorded instantly. Total number of branches per plant ranged from 4 – 26, while the height of the main branch ranged from 71 – 203 cm. The fruits per branch ranged from 3 – 275. The weed was not found in areas dominated by Cenchrus ciliaris and Cynodon nlemfuensis grasses unlike for Chloris gayana, Panicum infestum and Urochloa mosambensesis grasses. Since kongwa weed is under Convolvulaceae family whose fruit has 4 seeds, it can be concluded that with favorable environment factors a Kongwa weed plant can produce up to 28, 600 seeds per season. Despite Kongwa weed aggressiveness in terms of seed productivity, as was shown in the current study, certain pasture species such as Cenchrus ciliaris and Cynodon nlemfuensis may reduce its abundance unless they are overgrazed. Further studies on the influence of land use and plant association on the spread of Kongwa weed are recommended.