Term | Definition |
Allelopathy | a plant resisting the establishment of another plant by releasing certain toxic chemicals |
alternate row seeding | a cultural practice for establishing two species of plants in separate alternating rows to avoid inter-species competition |
animal unit | 1000 lb. cow with a calf less than 4 months old |
animal unit month | the amount of forage required per month for a 1000 lb animal |
bloat | excessive accumulation of gases in the rumen when gas loss through the esophagus is impaired |
boot stage | the maturity stage of grass tillers when the inflorescence is in the sheath of the flag leaf or uppermost leaf |
broadcast seeding | the process of scattering seed on the soil surface before covering the seed with soil using artificial or natural means |
bunchgrass | a single plant turf reproducing by seed |
caespitose | all leaves originate from a common base- basal |
catch crop | an annual warm season crop planted in late spring the same year after a failure of an earlier planted crop, e.g. pinto beans after sugar beets |
cereal forage | annual grass species typically harvested for seed |
chemical tillage | using contact and/or residual chemicals for vegetation control rather than tillage |
companion crop | annual crop planted with a perennial forage crop for establishment |
complementary pasture | seeded pastures that can supply nutritious forage during times of the year when other forage resources are inadequate or unavailable. usually intensively managed pastures with 1-3 introduced species complementing the rangeland forage resource |
conventional seedbed | a well pulverized, firm, weed free surface in which to place a seed for a new crop to establish |
corm | solid, thickened underground stem |
coumarin | a white, crystalline compound with a vanilla-like odor that gives sweet clover its characteristic odor. used as a rodent poison and in medicine |
cover crop | annual crop planted to control erosion, suppress weeds, provide organic matter and a seedbed after it is harvested for grain or hat |
crop rotation | a system of growing different kinds of crops in recurrent secession on the same land |
cultivar | cultivated plant having proven performance |
cultivation | tillage is a mechanical method of weed control where a disk, harrow or rototiller is used to disturb or cultivate the soil, usually two to six inches deep |
decumbent | stems reclining on the ground with the end ascending |
dehiscent | opening by definite lines of weakness splitting the pod to discharge the seeds |
dicoumarol | chemical compound produced microbiologically from coumarin' found in spoiled sweet clover had |
diluent | dilution substance |
dormancy | a period of arrested growth and development caused by physical or physiological factors |
dormant fall seeding | seeding in late fall in cold soils where there is no chance of germination until the following spring |
drill seeding | planting seed directly into the soil with a drill, usually in rows 6 to 24 inches apart |
economic/ecologic threshold | a point which the cost and risk of a pesticide application out-weighs the economic crop loss if nothing was done |
emergency forage | during years of disaster where annual crops have typically been used in Montana as emergency forage |
endophyte | fungus that lives 100% in a plant |
fescue foot | vasoconstrictor condition of livestock extremities caused by an endophyte when fescues are grazed in ate fall or winter |
fescue toxicity | endophyte that kills rumen bacteria when fescues are grazed in spring and early summer |
forage crop | herbaceous plant fed to livestock |
forage integration | development of the most profitable combination of forage resources on a year round basis |
forage quality | ability of a forage to produce a desired effect on livestock |
frost seeding | seed is broadcast on the soil or drilled in late fall, winter, or early spring into a frozen seedbed when daytime temperatures are above freezing but at night time temperatures are below freezing |
germination | the initiation of growth by the embryo and development of a young plant from seed |
grass tetany | a metabolic Mg deficiency disorder of livestock, primarily ruminants, when grazing lush green grasses early in the spring |
grazing readiness | a point where a plant has grown in spring or recovered from a grazing event by regrowing beyond its minimum stubble height and can tolerate a grazing event without harm to its long-term survival |
hard seed | seed coat impermeable to water |
harvest efficiency/ animal use factor | amount of forage planned for removal by a grazing animal taking into account proper grazing use plus waste |
hay | forage preserved by field drying to moisture levels low enough to prevent microbial activity that leads to spoilage |
haylage | product resulting from ensiling forage with about 45% moisture in the absence of oxygen |
in-determinant growth | a continuous ripening of seed along with the initiation of new blossoms on the same plant |
inert matter | contaminant in a seed lot |
inoculate | introduction of pure or mixed futures of microorganisms into natural or artificial culture media via seed |
integrated pest management | using multiple tactics to manage pests |
interseed | planting the same or different crop within an existing crop |
late summer seeding | plantain crops in late summer for germination and establishment prior to frost |
monoculture | raising crops of a single species year after year on the same land |
nitrate poisoning | a serious condition resulting when an animal ingests a dies containing high nitrate concentrations |
pasture | land defined by a boundary fence and used for livestock grazing |
pH | the designation for the degree of acidity or alkalinity, hydrogen ion concentration |
phenology | the study of periodic biological phenomenon, such as flowering, seed set, as related to climate and season changed |
PLS | germination +hard seed x purity |
poloxalene | a surface-active agent that prevents the formation of float causing froth |
preference | a preferring or being preferred; greater liking |
prostrate | lying flat on the ground, if a stem then may or may not root at the nodes |
prescribed grazing | the management practice used on tame pastures to maintain healthy pasture plant communities and this maintain a healthy forage base, achieve acceptable livestock production, and protect natural resources |
prussic acid poisoning | hydrocyanic acid or cyanide poisoning, results when livestock consume plants containing cyanogenic glycosides from which HCN is released. usually found in sorghums |
phytoremediation | mitigation environmental problems with plants |
regrowth | growth that can occur from intact, active for growing points when defoliation occurs above the growing point, or it can originate from dormant buds |
rhizobia | nitrogen fixing bacteria found in nodules on roots of certain leguminous plants |
rhizome | any prostrate elongated stem growing partially or completely beneath the surface of the ground; usually rooting at the nodes and becoming up curved at apex |
rosette | a dense basal cluster of leaves arranged in circular fashion like the leaves of the common dandelion |
saline soil | soil containing enough soluble salts to interfere with normal plant growth, but not containing an excess of exchangeable sodium. |
scarify | scratching the seed coat to improve its permeability of moisture for germination |
seed inoculation | the addition of rhizobium bacteria to legume seed prior to planting. promotes nitrogen fixation |
seed scarification | the act of mechanically scarring the coat of hard of impenetrable seed to permit rapid water intake and speed germination |
silage | a forage preserved in a succulent condition by partial fermentation |
sod bound | excessive underground stems effecting production |
sodic soil | a soil containing sufficient exchangeable sodium to interfere with the growth of most plants, either with or without appreciable quantities of soluble salts |
sprig | a piece of a rhizome with a bud |
stocking rate | the relationship between the number of animals and the grazing management unit over a specified time period |
stocking density | the relationship between the number of animals and area of land at any given instant of time |
stockpile | harvesting 1-2 cuttings for hay and stockpiling the aftermath regrowth for late fall or winter grazing |
stolon | an above ground stem capable of rooting at its nodes and producing a new plant |
stover | mature, cured stalks of corn, sorghum, etc. from which the grain has been removed |
stubble seedbed | placing a seed by no-till planting into firm weed free surface residue of a prior crop |
swath/windrow grazing | the process of cutting hay, leaving it in windrows and allowing livestock to graze these windrows during the winter |
symbiosis | two kinds or organisms living together for their mutual benefit |
tame psature | cultivated fields planted to introduced grass and legume plant cultivars and used for grazing |
thatch | undecomposed plant residue |
tiller | branch or shoot originating at a basal node in grasses |
vegetative stage | maintain vegetative tillers v.s. reproductive tillers |
vernalization | cold, wet treatment of winter seeded cereals required for seed production |
wolfy | unpalatable bunchgrass with stiff old stems |