Agricultural Terminology

Clone: a plant that is asexually propagated from another; both plants are genetically identical.

Hardening off: Adapting plants to outdoor conditions by withholding water, lowering the temperature, or altering the nutrient supply.

Cuttings: A detached vegetative material from a plant used to produce a new plant.

Types of Plant Cuttings are�

�          Stem (stem tip, stem section)

�          Leaf (full or partial, leaf-vein, leaf-bud)

�          Root

Rootstock:  The bottom part of a graft that is in contact with the soil and not allowed to produce side shoots. (Sometimes called the stock)

Scion:  The plant part that is the top part of a graft and grows to become the desired shoot or cultivar.

Compost: partially decomposed plant material.

Damping off: a disease in which soil borne fungus attacks seedlings soon after germination at the soil line and kills the plants.

Adventitious roots: Any �root� that originates from other parts of the plant.

Anthocyanin: found in vacuoles of the cell, this water-soluble pigment is responsible for a variety of red to blue colors found in plant parts (fruits, leaves, and flowers).

Apomixes: a form of asexual reproduction through which seeds are produced without fertilization, the seeds being entirely of maternal origin.

Bonsai: The art of growing and training plants to be miniatures of their natural forms.

Carotene: a yellow plant pigment that is a precursor of vitamin A and gives color to plant parts such as orange fruits.

Chlorophyll: used as enzyme in chloroplasts; green pigment found in almost all green plants.

Cotyledons:a significant part of the embryo within the seed of a plant. Upon germination, the cotyledon may become the embryonic first leaves of a seedling. 

Conifer prop. By cuttings/( Narrow-leaved evergreen): commonly propagated by hardwood cuttings obtained from plants in early winter. Conifer cuttings root slowly, sometimes requiring months to produce adequate rooting. The preferable rooting environment is cool and humid. Sometimes a cold frame with high light intensity can be used to accelerate rooting process. Examples of plants in this category are juniper, spruce, hemlock, yew, and pine.

Espalier: method of training trees or shrubs to grow flat against a wall or trellis.

Explant: a piece of tissue obtained from part of the plant of interest to be used in tissue culture.

Green manure crops:version of sheet composting; involves the growing of leguminous species, such as clover, alfalfa, peas, and soybean, and plowing them under while still fresh.

Hypogenous germination (seeds): seed germination in which the cotyledons remain below the soil surface.

Nonlignified tissue: soft tissue found on shrubs or deciduous trees; used in softwood cuttings.

Organic mulches:Plastic Mulch Film (photodegradable film)

Prop roots:adventitious roots that originate from the shoot and pass through the air before entering the soil.

Seed dormancy: the failure of a viable seed to germinate under adequate environmental conditions.

Seed longevity: a measure of low long a seed remains viable.

Seed viability: the proportion of seed in a lot that is capable of germinating. 

Uniform growth:(advantage of asexual propagation) offspring that are genetically identical (clones) and are the same in appearance as the parental source(true offspring). Uniformity (homogeneity) of produce quality is critical to the success of certain production enterprises where the market demands uniform products.

Xanthophyll: yellow carotenoid pigment found along with chlorophyll in green plants.

Plant propagation: the reproduction or increase in the number of plants by vegetative or sexual methods.

Polarity: the condition that plant parts maintain their spatial orientation when separated from the mother plant. The phenomenon is important in cuttings and grafting. See proximal and distal.

Ovule: a rudimentary seed, containing before fertilized, the embryo sac, including an egg cell, and all being enclosed in the nucleus and one or two integuments.

Tap root:the radicle is more prominently enlarged than any of the laterals.

Callus: a mass of undifferentiated cells that can be induced or arise naturally as a result of wounding.

Offshoot : the genetic term for adventitious shoots that arise from various parts of the plant.

Psuedobulbs: in the Dendrobium orchid, for example, roots form at the base of the offshoots. These shoots may be removed and transplanted.

Runners (strawberry):As the plant grows, it produces runners, or stolons (aboveground creeping stems), in various directions. When in contact with soil, roots develop and eventually new plants arise at these nodes. These new plants may be harvested by cutting and digging out for replanting.

Slips:when a tuberous root is buried in the soil, it produces a number of adventitious shoots called slips.

Tunicate/Laminate bulbs: dry membranous protective layer called a tunic. Onion is an example of a tunic bulb/laminate bulb. Daffodil (tunic bulb) Hyacinth (tunic bulb) Garlic (tunic bulb) Onion (tunic bulb) Lily (non-tunic bulb)

Scaly bulb (nontunicate): bulbs lack an outer dry protective membrane.

True bulbs: underground organ that consists predominately of fleshy leaf scales.

What is the difference between a bulbil and a bulblet?

                                    Bulblet: an immature bulb that develops at the base of a bulb. Bulbil(s) can be produced in the inflorescence in place of flowers.

Taxonomic classification

True bulbs: Monocotyledonae/Liliopsida

Corm: Modified STEM, not modified leaves. Crocus and Gladiolus are plants that produce corms.

Cormels: several small corms

Stem Tuber propagation: the tuber is divided into sections so that each bud has a good amount of flesh or stored food.

Irish potato (stem tuber) 

Sweet potato and Dahlia are tuberous roots

Adventitious roots on specialized stem and roots:

                                    -Suckers         
                                    -Crown division
                                    -Slips
                                    -Offsets

Banana (monocot)

Bald cypress, Larch _ gymnosperm

Organic N _ Alfalfa

Requirements to sell produce using the Organic name: Must follow all of the rules and regulations set forth by the federal government in the National Organic Rule! Must be in compliance with the NOP.

Organic Gardening: the practice of growing vegetables, herbs, and fruits using only things found in nature, without manmade chemicals, and minimizing purchased inputs.

Softwood Cutting: from soft, sufficient, new spring growth of deciduous or evergreen species.

Hardwood cutting: from dormant woody material�taken in early spring before leaves appear�from previous year�s growth.

Water sprouts: are activated latent buds that sprout from the trunk or older branches and tend to grow in a very vigorous and upright manner.

Budding: a form of grafting in which the scion consists of a single vegetative bud.

Apical dominance: growth regulation in plants where auxins secreted by terminal bud inhibit the growth of lateral branches.

Scaffold branch (pruning): the main branch growing from the trunk of the tree.

Grafting: a technique of uniting two plants so they grow as one.

Graft: union between two different plants.

Mitotic process: A nuclear cell division in which the products are genetically identical to the parent cell.

Meristem(atic): a region of the plant consisting of undifferentiated and rapidly growing and dividing cells.

Crop rotation: Planting different species of crops in an area in a planned sequence, year after year, to prevent buildup of diseases or insects associated with particular crops.

Crown: the root-stem junction of woody plants; also the region at the base of the stem of herbaceous species from which branches or tillers arise.

Cytokinin: a naturally occurring plant hormone involved in activities such as cell division, organ initiation, breaking dormancy, and other activities.

Heterozygous: having different genes of a Mendelian pair present in the same cell or organism.

Internode: the region of a stem between two successive nodes.

Appropriate conditions to propagate plants by vegetative methods: Compatibility, Diameter of parts, Physiological State, Alignment of tissues, Environment, The Operator.

Factors that enhance success of vegetative propagation: Time of year, Darkness/Light, Temperature, Moisture and Humidity, Nutrition, Rooting Medium, Sanitation.

What are examples of deciduous conifers? Juniper, Spruce, Hemlock, Yew, and Pine.

Arboretum: a place where trees are grown for research and educational purposes.

Chives: true bulb or tunic bulb? (true bulb)

Fungus: a kind of living organism, different from animals and plants. Fungi have cells with nuclei. Their cell walls contain chitin, unlike the cell walls of plants, which contain cellulose.

Organic herbicides: the various classes of organic herbicides include organic arsenicals (translocated for rhizomes and tubers) and phenoxy herbicides (hormone weed killers).

NSA: Nebraska Statewide Arboretum (NSA)

Iris: (Rhizome or Bulb) Irises are perennial herbs, growing from creeping rhizomes (rhizomatous irises), or, in drier climates, from bulbs (bulbous irises).

Bluegrass (origin): Kentucky

Narcissus:a genus of mainly hardy, mostly spring-flowering, bulbs in the Amaryllis family, subfamily Amaryllidoideae, native to Europe, North Africa, and Asia. English name is Daffodil.

Absorption: The process by which a substance is taken into and included within another substance, e.g., intake of water by soil, or intake of gases, water, nutrients or other substances by plants.  Practically all of the fertilizer nutrients and water requirements of plants are absorbed through their roots.  Much of this absorption is through the root hairs that are located near the growing tips of the young roots.  It is believed that simple diffusion and active absorption (energy from living cells) are the processes utilized by plants in their absorption of nutrients.

Acid fertilizer - A fertilizer that causes a decrease in pH (i.e., increased acidity or decreased basicity) when applied to the soil/growing media.  Acidity is primarily due to the application of ammonium, ammonia, and/or urea in the fertilizer.

Acidification - The process of making a substance or solution more acid, i.e., lower in pH.  In irrigation, it refers to adding acid (sulfuric, phosphoric, or nitric acid) to the irrigation water to create a slightly acid 5.8 to 6.2 pH or reduction to a certain level of alkalinity.
Acid Soil: A soil with a pH value below 7.0.
A soil containing more hydrogen ions (H⁺) verses hydroxyl ions (OH-) in the soil solution (active acidity) and held to the surface of soil particles (reserve or potential acidity). Soil pH values are below 7, depending on the concentration of hydrogen ions in the soil solution.
Soils become more acid as a result of leaching of calcium (Ca⁺²), magnesium (Mg⁺²), and potassium (K^-) cations from the topsoil into the subsoil, and through the removal of cations by growing crops, and by nitrification of ammonium (NH₄⁺ ) nitrogen.  As cations are removed from the soil particles, they are replaced with hydrogen and acid-forming aluminum ions.  Soil acidity affects availability of essential plant nutrients.

Acidity and basicity of fertilizers - Fertilizers have neutral, acidic (lower soil pH), or basic (increased soil pH) effects when added to the soil.  This effect is commonly expressed in terms of the amount of pure calcium carbonate that would be required to either offset the acid-forming reactions of 100 pounds of fertilizer materials or the amount of calcium carbonate required to equal the acid-neutralizing effects of 100 pounds of fertilizer.
Actinomycetes - A category of soil bacteria that includes thread-like microorganisms forming  elongated cells with a tendency towards branching. Actinomycetes are heterotrophic bacteria utilizing fixed carbon sources and their presence is therefore conditioned by the availability of organic substrates (organic matter).  Their activities aid the decomposition of certain disease resistant components of plant and animal tissue, formation of humus, and organic transformations at high temperatures, particularly in the rotting of green manures, hay, compost piles and animal manures.