Eleusine indica (L.) Gaertn.

Prefers the cultivated and disturbed areas, typical weed of rice and other crop under short follow rotation.

Northern Cameroon: Eleusine indica is an heliophilic and very nitrophilous species.. It develops in Sahel-Sudanese regions, where annual rainfall is between 600 and 800 mm, the humid Sudanese regions. It is a ruderal species, frequent along roadside, in vacant lots and in fallow, especially in areas where farming is combined with agriculture. This species tolerates trampling and usually is the first line of vegetation on both sides of cattle paths. It is also a common weed, but rarely abundant in annual crops. It grows mainly in deep, rich, loamy to sandy loam and well drained soils. It is a good environmental indicator of soil fertility.
Comoros: ruderal species that grows on deep ground or in the pastures of the three islands.
French Guiana: Ruderal plant very common in non-flooded environments (gardens, wastelands, crops and dykes of the Mana rice polder). It supports trampling.
Madagascar: ruderal species and weed of rainfed cultivations, very common in humid and subhumid regions of the Great Island: Highlands, eastern slope and Northwest. It infests stations with deep fertile and well drained soils. : Outskirts homes and beef farms, fenced crop, crop fields in the alluvial plains or on the terraces around the shallows.
Mauritius: Very common species, widespread.
Mayotte: Eleusine indica is a cryptogenic species, very common in a wide range of environments. It grows in humid disturbed places such as crops, pastures, gardens, villages, embankments, riverbanks and forest paths, from coastal to the most hygrophilic parts. Characteristic of compacted soils
Reunion: E. indica loves light. It grows mainly in humid regions. It settled in the rich, deep, loamy to sandy loam, well drained and can be compacted soils. It is relatively common all along the windy coast. In downwind region, it is rare in North West and Western areas, more common in the South West and South, at altitude.
Seychelles: This species occurs at all altitudes, on a wide variety of soil types, although it is generally favored by high fertility. It grows best on moist, fertile soils and cultivated in full sun.
West Indies: Eleusine indica is an exotic species. It is a very common species occupying a wide variety of environments. In agricultural environments, it becomes abundant on regularly worked vegetable and food crop soils with high fertility. It does not tolerate competition and becomes less abundant in grassed plots with a high diversity of plants.

Global harmfulness

Eleusine indica is a major problem in almost all forms of agriculture between the tropics.

Local harmfulness
 
Benin: Eleusine indica is rare, but abundant when present.
Burkina Faso: frequent and scarce.
Northern Cameroon: This is a minor weed present in 15% of cultivated land. It is more common and abundant in the fended fields receiving strong manure. The development of this species is easily limited by early tillage operations (plowing, weeding, hilling). However, it is difficult to weed when adult because it has a strong rooting.
Comoros: common weed.
Ghana: rare and scarce.
French Guiana: Very frequent weed in vegetable crops, often at the edge of the plot, close to the drainage channels. Sometimes abundant in vegetable plots during the rainy season, especially in Cacao.
India: E. indica is a main weed infesting cultivated soils of upland rice and cotton and vegetable farming.
Ivory Coast: common and scarce.
Kenya: frequent and generally abundant.
Madagascar: relatively low frequency but locally abundant species and harmful to smoke crops or low lands and in areas with volcanic soils (Antsirabe, Itasy): corn, upland rice, vegetables.
Mauritius: A weed fairly common in sugarcane fields, with low harmfulness. However, it has an average to high harmfulness in vegetable crops.
Mayotte: Eleusine indica is an infrequent weed, it is present in 4% of cultivated plots. It grows especially in vegetable and fruit crops. It is mainly present in the north of the island, but it is also found in the center.
Nigeria: frequent and generally abundant.
Uganda: common and generally abundant.
Reunion: E. indica is a very common weed present in 45% of cultivated land, including vegetable and sugarcane. This is a very tolerant species to soil compaction. It generally remains scarce, but can occasionally reach a covering 70-85%.
Senegal: frequent and scarce.
Seychelles: A major weed of cultivated plots, affecting a wide range of crops, especially vegetables, fruits, ornamentals and ground crops, plantations and nurseries. Difficult to control once installed.
Tanzania: frequent and scarce.
Uganda: Frequent and usually abundant.
West Indies: Eleusine indica is common in all crops but is more damaging in vegetable and food crops. When it becomes abundant, it competes directly with crops. Although it is not harmful to fruit crops, it is difficult to remove by mowing machines when the clumps have reached a significant development. The clumps wrap around the blades, making mowing difficult.

For annual grass weed control tips of irrigated rice and lowland in Africa, visit:http://portal.wiktrop.org/document/show/32

Local control

(Doses are expressed in commercial products) - 2014

Herbarium pictures ReCOLNAT: https://explore.recolnat.org/search/botanique/simplequery=Eleusine%2520indica