A
Acidic Soil
Common in higher rainfall regions, soils with lower than a 6.6 pH are considered acidic. Soils with a pH 6 = slightly acidic, pH 5 = acidic, and pH 4 = very acidic.
Aggregate
A conglomeration of soil particles glued together by organic matter and chemical forces which form variations in soil structure and soil pore architecture.
Aggregate stabilityHow likely soil aggregates are to stick together when exposed to force. This relates to how prone a soil is to erosion.
Alkaline Soil
Soil with a pH higher than 7.2
Annual
A true annual plant completes its life cycle in one year. Going from seed to seed and then dying off in the course of one growing season. (See Summer Annual and Winter Annual).
B
Baleage
Baleage, also known as round bale silage, is a somewhat newer method of preserving forage. Baleage is simply forage that is baled at a higher moisture content than dry hay and then stored in sealed plastic wrap (oxygen free). Because of the high moisture level and air-tight environment, the forage ferments and is preserved by acid production during fermentation.
Biennial
A plant that completes its life cycling in 2 years. The first growing season is vegetative and rarely flowers or sets seed. The second growing season the plan flowers and sets seed.
Bloat
An inflation of the rumen or large colon in ruminant animals caused by gases of fermentation after over-eating certain forages, especially legumes.
Boot Stage
In grasses, the growth stage when the head is enclosed by the sheath of the uppermost leaf.
C
Carbon mineralization
The microbial process of transforming carbon bound in organic matter into carbon dioxide which is released from the soil. Also called respiration, this is a common soil health measurement that indicates the biological activity of the soil.
Carbon sequestration
The process by which carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere and held in the soil.
Clay
Clay has three definitions that are all valid and true. 1) Clay sized particles are less than 0.002mm or 2 microns. 2) Clay soil textural class is a soil that contains more than 40% clay sized particles. 3) Clay is a secondary phyllosilicates.
Companion Crop
Also known as a ‘Nurse Crop’. A crop sown with another crop to provide an advantage (i.e. additional yield, pest protection, pollination etc.)
Cool Season Grass
Grass species that grow vigorously during the cool, moist periods of the year and are usually dormant (turn brown) during the hot, dry periods.
Cover Crop
Unharvested crops grown for specific benefits unique to a situation. Cover crops are used for controlling erosion, preventing or breaking up hard pan soils, building organic matter, attracting beneficial insects, repelling damaging insects, setting nitrogen in the soil, preventing weed infestations, nematode management, and other uses. The list of species which are considered cover crops continues to grow.
Cover crops
A crop grown for the protection or enrichment of the soil that is not harvested for cash or removal from field. Cover crops can come from many plant families and should be selected to address specific management goals. Benefits can include, increasing: carbon sequestration, nutrient cycling, nitrogen availability, water infiltration rate, water holding capacity, pollinator habitat, decreasing: erosion, soil compaction zones, nutrient leaching and runoff, weed and disease pressure, chemical application rates, and improving water quality and above ground and below ground biodiversity.
Crown
Refers to the base, the vegetative portion of the plant, typically the lower 2-4 inches. Having a healthy crown is essential to the long term survival of perennial plants.
Cultivar
Also known as ‘variety’. The term is derived from the term ‘Cultivated Variety’. Refers to a group of plants with clearly distinguishable characteristics which when reproduced retain the same distinguishable characteristics.
D
Dormant Seeding
Broadcasting seed onto frozen or snow covered ground. The freezing and thawing (heaving) process causes the seed to be worked into the soil, making germination possible at the first favorable weather conditions. (see Frost Seeding)
Diploid
A plant with 2 sets of chromosomes.
Drought Stress
Stress placed on plants during dryer than normal conditions.
Drought Tolerance
Plants that may survive during dryer than normal conditions are said to be ‘Drought Tolerant’.
E
Endophyte
an organism, typically a fungi, living between cells of a plant. In turfgrass it is often a fungus that repels insects or pests. Many endophytes are toxic to livestock and other animal species. Endophytes are relatively short-lived if seed is stored in less than optimal conditions.
Emergence
The process of coming into view or becoming exposed after being concealed such as a seed germinating and emerging through the soil surface.
F
Fallow
Land that is maintained with no cash or cover crop for one or more seasons. Can be accomplished with tillage or chemical applications.
Fodder
Also known as ‘Forage’. Herbaceous plants or plant parts which are fed to livestock or domestic animals.
Foliage
The leaves, branches or needles growing on a tree, shrub, grass or other plant.
Forage
Also known as ‘Fodder’. Herbaceous plants or plant parts which are fed to livestock or domestic animals.
Frost Seeding
(See Dormant Seeding)
Fructan
A type of sugar found in cool-season grasses, that is an important source of stored energy
G
Germination Rate
The number of days it takes for a plant to begin rising from its seed once planted.
Grass Tetany
A magnesium deficiency in cattle or sheep caused by a lack of magnesium in the forage grass they’ve eaten. Animals may exhibit symptoms such as staggers, convulsions, coma and frequently death.
Green Chop
Forage which is harvested mechanically and fed to livestock while it is still fresh and moist.
Green Manure
Crops which are grown to be plowed under to improve the soil.
H
Hard Seed
Seed with a coating that does not allow for water or oxygen to permeate it, prohibiting germination from occurring. Common in legume seed. Scarification process can make hard seed able to germinate.
Haylage
A feed that is halfway between hay and silage. The feed is cut when green, chopped small (0.5 to 1 inch) wilted and then stored in a special airtight tower silo, pit or long pile. Because of the high moisture level and air-tight environment, the forage ferments and is preserved by acid production during fermentation.
Herbicide
A chemical used to control weeds.
High Sugar Grass (HSG)
Plants featuring high levels of water soluble carbohydrates. To be considered a high sugar variety the forage should feature water soluble carbohydrate levels that are a minimum of 25% higher than standard cultivars of like kind and ploidy. These plants allow ruminant animals to more effectively utilize and digest the nutrients in the dry matter when eaten. The subsequent results of HSG forage is the production or more milk or meat, healthier plants, and less nitrogen loss.
I
Intermediate
A cross between an annual and a perennial. Often referred to as a ‘Short-lived Perennial’ or a ‘Long-lived Annual’.
Italian Ryegrass
Biennial plant of the family Gramineae (Lolium multiflorum) requiring vernalization to complete its life cycle or produce seed. Italian ryegrass may perform as a true annual if vernalization occurs too early.
J
There are currently no terms in this category.
K
There are currently no terms in this category.
L
Laminitis
inflammation of sensitive laminae in the hoof of a horse caused by trauma, infection, parturition, and some especially rich forages
Leaching
The process of water carrying nutrients or other chemicals through the soil profile.
Legume
From the plant family Leguminosae. Legumes form associations with rhizobia bacteria which form nodules on the legumes’ roots. Inside of these nodules the rhizobia fix nitrogen from the atmosphere, transforming it into plant available forms of nitrogen that the legume takes into its biomass.
Loam
A soil texture category indicating relatively equal amounts of sand, silt, and clay sized particles.
Long-lived Annual
An annual that may survive longer than one year but not as persistent as a perennial.
M
Micronutrient
Nutrients and elements that are essential for plant growth but are needed in very small quantities. Also called trace elements. These are iron, manganese, boron, copper, zinc, and molybdenum.
Microbe
Refers to organisms that are microscopic, typically they are less than 2 micrometers in size in at least one dimension. Bacteria and archaea are typically 0.2-2 micrometers but fungal hyphae can be 0.5 micrometers wide and miles long.
N
Neutral Soil
Soil that is neither acid or alkaline, with pH levels between 6.6 and 7.3.
Nematode
Any unsegmented worm of the phylum Nematoda, existing in soil and water, some of which are parasitic on plants and animals.
No-till
A general term for managing an agricultural field with minimal physical disturbance. Current descriptions do allow for some light activities which can include disturbance during seed bed preparation, planting, or harvesting .
Nitrogen fixation
A process performed by bacteria that takes N2 gas from the air and transforms the nitrogen into plant available forms. The family of rhizobia bacteria form nodules on the roots of legume crops and provide the fixed nitrogen to the legume crop.
Nitrogen mineralization
A process carried out by microbes in the soil where the nitrogen in dead organic matter is transformed into mineral forms that are available to the living plant growing in that soil.
Nodule
A small swelling or aggregation of cells. In the rhizobial-legume association this becomes the home and workplace of the rhizobia bacteria attached to the roots of the legume.
O
Organic
Related to or derived from living matter, containing a carbon atom.
Organic certification
A USDA program that indicates the products were grown without the use of synthetic pesticides, fungicides, fertilizers, and prepared without the use of preservatives.
Organic Matter
A continuum of progressively decomposing organic compounds found in the soil. This is the key resource for soil health, the capacity of the soil to function as a vital living ecosystem that sustains life.
Ornamental
Plants grown for their beauty or for decorative purposes.
Overseeding
Planting more seeds into an existing plant population. Used in turf and forage situations to crowd or prevent weed infestations and to introduce more beneficial plant material. Often done instead of complete renovation to save time, money, and energy.
P
Palatability
The willingness of animals to eat certain feed or plants in preference to others, which may be based on factors other than taste, e.g. smell, appearance, ease of access to or texture of plant material.
Perennial
Plants with a life cycle of at least several years.
pH
A unitless measurement describing the concentration of hydrogen ions in any solution. The scale ranges from 0-14, the lower the number the more hydrogen ions. Acids have a pH less than 7 and alkaline solutions have a pH greater than 7. Soil pH is considered the master control of nutrient availability in soil and should be considered when deciding what crops will thrive in a certain soil.
Pythium blight
Also known as grease spot and cottony blight, is a highly destructive turfgrass disease caused by several different pythium species. All naturally cultivated cool-season turfgrasses are susceptible to Pythium. Whole stands of turfgrass can be destroyed in only a few days if conditions are right.
Q
There are currently no terms in this category.
R
Renovation
The complete elimination and replanting of a plant population. Generally done when the existing plant population is no longer productive, has excessive weed infestations, or a change of specie(s) is desired.
Rhizome
Part of the plant growing horizontally underground which is capable of producing the upward shoot and downward root systems of a new plant. Rhizomes allow plants to propagate vegetatively (asexually) and survive during unfavorable conditions.
Rhizobium
A genus of soil bacteria that form associations with legumes and can fix nitrogen.
Root
The part of the plant which grows below the soil surface.
Root Hair
Tiny hair-like growth that occurs on the surface of plant roots. These delicate hairs can provide larger surface areas in turn creating greater opportunities for water, mineral and nutrient absorption which benefit the plant.
Ruminant
Any animal, including cattle, sheep, goats, deer, and antelopes, which have a stomach with four complete cavities (rumen, reticulum, omasum, abomasum), through which the food passes in digestion
Rust
A disease that comes in a number of deferent strains. A few of the more common rusts that occur on cool-season grasses include stem, stripe, crown, and leaf rust. There are differences among these different strains with respect to the symptoms and portion of the plant affected, however, they generally occur under the same environmental conditions.
S
Saline Soil
Soils that have a high concentration of soluble salts as measured by electrical conductivity (EC), saline soils have EC greater than 4 dS/m, But a sodium adsorption ratio less than 13.
Saline-Sodic soil
Both EC over 4 and SAR over 13.
Sodic soil: Soils
with an EC lower than 4 dS/m but with sufficient exchangeable sodium to adversely affect crop production and soil aggregation as measured through a sodium adsorption ratio (SAR). Sodic soil have SAR greater than 13.
Scarification
The process of mechanically roughing up the seed coat on ‘hard’ seed to allow germination to occur.
Short-lived Perennial
A plant that tends to live only a few years.
Silage
Forage cured and stored in a moist condition through partial fermentation void of oxygen. Moisture content is generally around 65%.
Sod
A layer of grass-covered surface soil held together by matted roots.
Soft-leaved
In reference to forage tall fescue, soft-leaved refers to the softer edges of the leaf blades. Typically tall fescue leaf blade edges are very rough and can cause abrasions or cuts if running fingers (or tongues in the case of livestock) down the sides of the blade. Varieties of tall fescue which have been bred for softer leaf blade edges have shown to be more palatable.
Soluble salts
Plant nutrient cations potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), and sodium (Na), in the soil water solution
Spreading Growth Habit
The horizontal growth pattern of plants as they develop.
Spring Green-up
When new buds sprout, new leaves unfurl, and grasses start to green-up after winter.
Stolon
An above ground stem, which can form roots and new plants at intervals along the surface of the ground.
Summer Annual
A plant whose complete life cycle occurs within the summer months.
Summer Dormancy
A state of non-growth that grasses may experience during hot summer months. Leaves typically turn brown and appear dead. Regrowth occurs when adequate moisture returns or is applied.
Sward
A mineral particle size between 0.05mm and 0.002mm. Also a soil textural class consisting of over 80% silt sized particles and less than 12% clay sized particles.
T
Tetraploid
A plant with 4 sets of chromosomes.
Tiller
A branch or shoot which originates at the basal node in grasses.
Tolerance
A plant’s ability to withstand certain adverse conditions.
U
There are currently no terms in this category.
V
Variety
(See Cultivar)
Vernalization
The exposure to several weeks of cool temperatures required by some plants to initiate bud formation or new growth.
W
Warm Season Grass
Plants which grow vigorously when soil temperatures are above 65 degrees F and go dormant (turns brown) in cool weather.
Weed
An invasive, difficult or unattractive plant growing in an area that is unwanted.
Westerwold Ryegrass
Annual plant of the family Gramineae (Lolium multiflorum) which does not require vernalization to complete its life cycle or produce seed.
Winter Annual
A plant whose complete life cycle occurs within the cooler months of the year.
X
There are currently no terms in this category.
Y
There are currently no terms in this category.
Z
There are currently no terms in this category.
