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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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Timothy-grass6 Tall oat-grass5 Tragus5 Triodia5 Sweet grass4 Tridens4 Trachypogon3 Trichoneura3 Sweet vernal grass2 Tetrapogon2 Thyridolepis2 Thyrsostachys2 Thysanolaena2 Trichloris2 Tricholaena2 Tall oat-grass1 Tenaxia1 Tetrachne1 Thaumastochloa1 Thelepogon1
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Swamp millet Panicum paludosum Sweet grass Hierochloe 4 items Sweet vernal grass Anthoxanthum 2 items Sweet vernal grass Anthoxanthum gracile Syreistschikov's feather grass Stipa syreistschikowii Syrian brome Bromus syriacus Tall fescue Lolium arundinaceum Tall fescue Festuca donax Tall oat-grass Arrhenatherum P. Beauv. 1 item Tall oat-grass Arrhenatherum 5 items Tall wheatgrass Elymus elongatus Taurian fescue Festuca taurica Tenaxia Tenaxia 1 item Teosinte Zea mexicana Tephrosanthos lovegrass Eragrostis tephrosanthos Tetrachne Tetrachne 1 item Tetrapogon Tetrapogon 2 items Texas dropseed Sporobolus texanus Texas millet Urochloa texana Texas needlegrass Stipa leucotricha Texas wild rice Zizania texana Thamnocalamus Thamnocalamus Thamnocalamus spathiflorus Thamnocalamus spathiflorus Thamnocalamus tessellatus Thamnocalamus tessellatus Thaumastochloa Thaumastochloa 1 item Thelepogon Thelepogon 1 item Themeda Themeda 1 item Themeda arguens Themeda arguens Themeda arundinacea Themeda arundinacea Themeda avenacea Themeda avenacea Themeda caudata Themeda caudata Themeda quadrivalvis Themeda quadrivalvis Themeda tremula Themeda tremula Themeda villosa Themeda villosa Thick-spike bristle grass Setaria incrassata Thrasya Thrasya Thuarea Thuarea 1 item Thurber's needlegrass Stipa thurberiana Thyridolepis Thyridolepis 2 items Thyrsostachys Thyrsostachys 2 items Thysanolaena Thysanolaena 2 items Tibetan barley Hordeum trifurcatum Tiger brome Bromus tigridis Tilen's bentgrass Agrostis tilenii Timoleon meadow-grass Poa timoleontis Timopheevi wheat Triticum timopheevi Timothy grass Phleum pratensis Timothy-grass Phleum 6 items Tor-grass Brachypodium rupestre Trachypogon Trachypogon 3 items Trachys Trachys 1 item Tragus Tragus 5 items Transylvanian melick Melica transsilvanica Trichanthecium Trichanthecium 1 item Trichloris Trichloris 2 items Tricholaena Tricholaena 2 items Trichoneura Trichoneura 3 items Trichopteryx Trichopteryx 1 item Tridens Tridens 4 items Triodia Triodia 5 items
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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.