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Reference · Crops

Grasses

Grasses (Latin: Poaceae) form one of the most important plant families in agriculture, encompassing vital cereal crops like wheat, rice, maize, barley, and oats. These monocotyledonous plants are the foundation of global food security, providing essential grains for human consumption, livestock feed, and diverse industrial raw materials such as biofuel and textiles.

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Reedgrass17 Rice6 Reed grass4 Puelia3 Rhytachne2 Ricegrass2 Pseudoroegneria1 Pseudosclerochloa1 Pseudosorghum1 Pseudoxytenanthera1 Psilurus1 Pyrrhanthera1 Ratzeburgia1 Redfieldia1 Reitzia1 Rhizocephalus1
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Pseudoroegneria Pseudoroegneria 1 item Pseudosasa Pseudosasa Pseudosasa amabilis Pseudosasa amabilis Pseudosasa japonica Pseudosasa japonica Pseudosasa taxifolia Pseudosasa taxifolia Pseudosclerochloa Pseudosclerochloa 1 item Pseudosorghum Pseudosorghum 1 item Pseudoxytenanthera Pseudoxytenanthera 1 item Psilurus Psilurus 1 item Puccinellia airoides Puccinellia airoides Puccinellia angusta Puccinellia angusta Puccinellia chinampoensis Puccinellia chinampoensis Puccinellia dolicholepis Puccinellia dolicholepis Puccinellia fasciculata Puccinellia fasciculata Puccinellia festuciformis Puccinellia festuciformis Puccinellia iberica Puccinellia iberica Puccinellia stricta Puccinellia stricta Puccinellia tenuiflora Puccinellia tenuiflora Puelia Puelia 3 items Pumpelly's brome Bromus pumpellianus Purple bristlegrass Setaria porphyrantha Purple Miscanthus Miscanthus violaceus Purple moor grass Molinia Pygmy millet Panicum pygmaeum Pyramid dropseed Sporobolus pyramidatus Pyrenean fescue Festuca pyrenaica Pyrrhanthera Pyrrhanthera 1 item Queensland panic Panicum queenslandicum Rattlesnake mannagrass Glyceria canadensis Ratzeburgia Ratzeburgia 1 item Ray-branched dropseed Sporobolus actinocladus Red brome Bromus rubens Red flinders grass Iseilema vaginiflorum Red oat Avena byzantina Redfieldia Redfieldia 1 item Redgrass Bothriochloa ambigua Reed grass Calamagrostis Adans. 4 items Reed mannagrass Glyceria arundinacea Reed millet Panicum phragmitoides Reed sweet-grass Glyceria dives Reedgrass Calamagrostis 17 items Regel's needle grass Stipa regeliana Rehmann's bluegrass Poa rehmannii Reitzia Reitzia 1 item Remote bluegrass Poa remota Rendle's foxtail Alopecurus rendlei Reuter's bent Agrostis reuteri Rhizocephalus Rhizocephalus 1 item Rhizomatous bluestem Andropogon rhizomatus Rhytachne Rhytachne 2 items Rice Oryza 6 items Rice cutgrass Leersia oryzoides Ricegrass Piptatherum 2 items Richardson brome Bromus richardsonii Richardson's needlegrass Stipa richardsoni Ridley's Rice Oryza ridleyi Rigid brome Bromus rigidus Rigid panicgrass Panicum rigidulum Rock bent Agrostis rupestris Rock fescue Festuca saxatilis

Grasses

Botanically, grasses are characterized by fibrous root systems, jointed stems known as culms, and leaves with parallel venation. Their flowers are typically arranged in spikelets, forming complex inflorescences like spikes or panicles. The fruit is a caryopsis, a type of grain in which the fruit wall is fused to the seed coat, distinguishing them from other botanical fruits.

The distribution of grasses is worldwide, ranging from equatorial regions to subarctic zones. This adaptability is the result of long-term natural evolution and centuries of selective breeding. Most cultivated grasses originated in fertile valleys of the Near East, East Asia, and the Americas, where ancient civilizations first practiced sedentary agriculture.

Agronomic requirements depend on the specific species, though most grasses thrive in well-drained soils rich in nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Crop management practices include soil tillage, strategic fertilization, and adherence to crop rotation cycles to maintain soil health. Irrigation is essential for high-yield species like rice, while others are adapted to rain-fed farming systems.

Key challenges in cultivation include fungal pathogens like rusts, smuts, and mildews, alongside insect pests such as aphids, stem borers, and locusts. Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategies, involving the use of resistant crop varieties, biological control, and judicious pesticide application, are essential for ensuring sustainable yields and optimal grain quality.

  • Cereals: primary grains for food production.
  • Forage grasses: critical for livestock pastures and silage.
  • Turf and ornamental grasses: significant for landscaping and soil erosion control.