Environmental Risk Assessment of Exotic Pennisetum hydridum as a Biofuel and Forage Crop
Hybrid Giant Napier(Pennisetum hydridum) was hybridized from elephant grass and African Pennisetum.It is an exotic multipurpose crop with high photosynthetic efficiency and strong drought-resistance,and has been used as an energy and forage grass.However,there is little information available about its eco-environmental risks.In this paper,environmental risks of Pennisetum were assessed by comparing Pennisetum with typical local weeds and invasive plants,based on literature analysis and planting onsite survey.The results showed that Pennisetum did have the ecological characteristics of invasive plants with invasion risk score of 23.5(by introduction-type evaluation system) and 27.5(by existence-type evaluation system).Our results suggest that Pennisetum is little dangerous and an acceptable species to be introduced in tropical area.