Sungrass {Imp era la cylindrica L. Beauv)
though brings substantial amount of revenue
in Bangladesh, its control is a problem in
the forest plantations. Sungrass, by its
tangled root-system, retards the growth of
seedlings and in addition increases fire hazards
(Chowdhury i960). Area clear-felled for
plantation is soon invaded by sungrass unless
the soil is covered quickly by a forest
species. Moreover, the growth of sungrass. adversely affects the soil quality. During
off-seasons, the shoot of sungrass dies
exposing the land. The land thus exposed
severe sun tremendously loses soil fertility
in various ways—a characteristic of the tropical
zones (Rehm 1975). It was, therefore,
necessary to find a suitable species for
covering the sungrass infested lands by a
forest tree crop.