Agriculture Glossary
Saline Soil
Saline soil contains excessive natural soluble salts, impairing soil and crop productivity, with a pH value of 8.5, electrical conductivity of 4 mmhos per cm at 25°C, and an exchangeable sodium percentage of 15%.
Scion
A scion is a bud or branch cut for grafting or planting.
Seedstock
Seedstock refers to pedigreed livestock kept for breeding purposes or selected strains of plants or seeds for future generations.
Silage
Silage is a crop preserved in a moist, succulent state through partial fermentation in an airtight container, primarily used as cattle feed.
Sire
A sire is the male parent of an animal.
Sorghum
Sorghum is a cereal grass primarily used for feed grain or silage.
Sow
A sow is a sexually mature female hog that has had her first litter.
Soybeans
Soybeans are legumes native to the Orient, mainly used in the United States for high-protein feed and oil.
Specific Humidity
Specific humidity measures the weight of water vapor per unit weight of air, including the water vapor.
Stag
A stag is a male bovine castrated after reaching puberty.
Stallion
A stallion is an uncastrated male horse.
Stand
A stand is a distinct area of homogenous plants managed as a single unit.
Steer
A steer is a male bovine castrated early in life, usually as a calf.
Stockers
Stockers are heifers or steers grown on pasture or forage for later sale as feedlot replacements.
Secondary Tillage
Secondary tillage follows primary tillage to create a suitable seedbed for planting.
Selective Herbicide
A selective herbicide targets specific plants, killing some while leaving others unaffected.
Sequence Cropping
Sequence cropping involves planting a second crop after harvesting the first, following fresh land preparation, ideal for areas with adequate water resources.
Shelter Belt
A shelter belt consists of rows of trees and shrubs intended to protect crops from wind and conserve soil moisture. The arrangement includes both evergreen and deciduous trees for year-round protection.
Silage Production
Silage production involves storing and fermenting green or wet crops under anaerobic conditions to create animal feed.
Silvihorticulture
Silvihorticulture is the care and cultivation of small plots primarily for vegetables and fruits, including woody species.
Smothering Crops
Smothering crops have thick canopies that exclude light, preventing weed growth.
Sodium Adsorption Ratio (SAR)
The sodium adsorption ratio measures the relative activity of sodium ions in soil extracts and irrigation waters.
Soil Moisture Tension
Soil moisture tension is the force with which water is held by soil against gravity, usually expressed in millimeters of mercury.
Sole Cropping
Sole cropping involves growing a single crop variety in a pure stand.
Stratification
Stratification is a method of breaking seed dormancy by exposing imbibed seeds to a period of chilling.
Strip Cropping
Strip cropping involves growing soil-conserving and soil-depleting crops in alternate strips perpendicular to the slope.
Stubble Mulching
Stubble mulching involves leaving vegetative material or crop residues on the soil surface to protect against erosion and conserve moisture.
Substitution Farming
Substitution farming is a self-sufficient farming practice where the produce is sufficient only for the farming family’s needs, with no surplus for sale.
Sustainable Agriculture
Sustainable agriculture involves managing agricultural resources to meet changing human needs while maintaining or enhancing environmental quality and conserving natural resources.
Systematic Herbicide
A systematic herbicide is translocated within plants to achieve its effect.
Saturation
Saturation occurs when all soil particle openings are filled with liquid.
Sheet Erosion
Sheet erosion is the uniform removal of the earth’s surface by water, without forming hills or gullies.
Silage
Silage is produced by chopping green forage and storing it in an airtight chamber to ferment, preserving its nutritional value.
Slaughterhouse
A slaughterhouse is a facility where animals are humanely killed for meat.
Soil Horizon
A soil horizon is a layer of soil parallel to the land surface, differing from adjacent layers in color, structure, texture, or consistency.
Soil Map
A soil map shows the distribution of soil types or mapping units in relation to physical and cultural features of the earth’s surface.
Soil-Moisture Tensiometer
A soil-moisture tensiometer measures the tension with which water is held by soil, useful for estimating irrigation needs and detecting drainage problems.
Soil Reaction
Soil reaction refers to the degree of acidity or alkalinity of soil, usually expressed in pH values.
Soil Series
A soil series is a group of soils developed from a particular type of parent material, similar in all characteristics except surface texture.
Soil Structure
Soil structure refers to the arrangement of soil particles and the resulting configuration of solids and voids.
Soil Survey
A soil survey is the systematic examination, description, classification, and mapping of soils in an area.
Soil Texture
Soil texture refers to the relative proportion of sand, silt, and clay particles in soil, determining its coarseness or fineness.
Soil Type
A soil type is a finer subdivision of a soil series, including all soils of the series similar in all characteristics, including surface texture.
Species
A species is a group of similar organisms capable of reproducing with one another.
Sow
A sow is a mature female hog.
Strip Cropping
Strip cropping involves growing crops in long narrow strips across a slope, alternating dense-growing and intertilled crops to increase yields and conserve moisture.
Stubble Mulching
Stubble mulching involves leaving vegetative material or crop residues on the soil surface to protect against erosion and conserve moisture.
Substitution Farming
Substitution farming is a self-sufficient farming practice where the produce is sufficient only for the farming family’s needs, with no surplus for sale.
Sustainable Agriculture
Sustainable agriculture involves managing agricultural resources to meet changing human needs while maintaining or enhancing environmental quality and conserving natural resources.
Systematic Herbicide
A systematic herbicide is translocated within plants to achieve its effect.
Saturation
Saturation occurs when all soil particle openings are filled with liquid.
Sheet Erosion
Sheet erosion is the uniform removal of the earth’s surface by water, without forming hills or gullies.
Silage
Silage is produced by chopping green forage and storing it in an airtight chamber to ferment, preserving its nutritional value.
Slaughterhouse
A slaughterhouse is a facility where animals are humanely killed for meat.
Soil Horizon
A soil horizon is a layer of soil parallel to the land surface, differing from adjacent layers in color, structure, texture, or consistency.
Soil Map
A soil map shows the distribution of soil types or mapping units in relation to physical and cultural features of the earth’s surface.
Soil-Moisture Tensiometer
A soil-moisture tensiometer measures the tension with which water is held by soil, useful for estimating irrigation needs and detecting drainage problems.
Soil Reaction
Soil reaction refers to the degree of acidity or alkalinity of soil, usually expressed in pH values.
Soil Series
A soil series is a group of soils developed from a particular type of parent material, similar in all characteristics except surface texture.
Soil Structure
Soil structure refers to the arrangement of soil particles and the resulting configuration of solids and voids.
Soil Survey
A soil survey is the systematic examination, description, classification, and mapping of soils in an area.
Soil Texture
Soil texture refers to the relative proportion of sand, silt, and clay particles in soil, determining its coarseness or fineness.
Soil Type
A soil type is a finer subdivision of a soil series, including all soils of the series similar in all characteristics, including surface texture.
Species
A species is a group of similar organisms capable of reproducing with one another.
Sow
A sow is a mature female hog.
Strip Cropping
Strip cropping involves growing crops in long narrow strips across a slope, alternating dense-growing and intertilled crops to increase yields and conserve moisture.
Subsoiling
Subsoiling breaks compact subsoils without inverting them, using a special narrow cultivator shovel or chisel.
Summer Fallow
Summer fallow involves plowing land in spring and leaving it unseeded through summer to air out and rest until fall, breaking down organic matter and killing weeds.
Salinization
Salinization is the process of increasing soil salt content, often due to irrigation practices, making land less suitable for crop production.
Saprophytes
Saprophytes are organisms, especially plants, that live on dead or decaying organic matter.
Savanna
A savanna is a biome similar to grasslands but with more precipitation and trees.
Science
Science seeks to understand physical or social phenomena through replicable procedures and observations.
Secondary Forest
A secondary forest is a forest that regrows after the original trees have been replaced by new species.
Soil Erosion
Soil erosion is the process by which topsoil is eroded by wind or water action.
Solar Pond
A solar pond consists of black plastic bags filled with water to trap heat, producing steam to turn turbines and generate electricity.
Species
A species is a group of similar organisms capable of interbreeding.
Sustainable Agriculture
Sustainable agriculture ensures long-term productivity with minimal harmful effects.
Sustainable Development
Sustainable development emphasizes balancing present and future economic needs through effective environmental management.
Horticulture Glossary
Drought-Resistant Crops
Cultivating crops like ber, custard apple, amla, and mango that require less water.
