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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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Urochloa15 Trisetum13 Trisetaria10 Tufted hairgrass9 Tripogon5 Trititrigia5 Tripsacum3 Triraphis2 Tristachya2 Urelytrum2 Velvet grass2 Ventenata2 Vulpia2 Triplasis1 Tripsacum-corn hybrid1 Trisetum1 Tritordeum1 Tufted hairgrass1 Uniola1 Vaseyochloa1
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Triplasis Triplasis 1 item Tripogon Tripogon 5 items Tripsacum Tripsacum L. 3 items Tripsacum-corn hybrid Tripsacum x Zea 1 item Triraphis Triraphis 2 items Trisetaria Trisetaria 10 items Trisetum Trisetum Pers. 1 item Trisetum Trisetum 13 items Tristachya Tristachya 2 items Trititrigia Thinopyrum A. Love 5 items Tritordeum x Tritordeum 1 item Tsukushi wild rye Elymus tsukushiensis Tuberous foxtail Alopecurus bulbosus Tufted hairgrass Deschampsia P. Beauv. 1 item Tufted hairgrass Deschampsia 9 items Tufted lovegrass Eragrostis pectinacea Tumble windmill grass Schedonnardus Tumbleweed grass Panicum volutans Tussock grass Poa flabellata Two-row barley Hordeum distichon Ukrainian feather grass Stipa ucrainica Uniola Uniola L. 1 item Uniola sessiliflora Uniola sessiliflora Upright paspalum Paspalum virgatum Urartu wheat Triticum urartu Urelytrum Urelytrum 2 items Urochloa Urochloa 15 items Urochloa arrecta Urochloa arrecta Urochloa brachyura Urochloa brachyura Urochloa deflexa Urochloa deflexa Urochloa distachya Urochloa distachya Urochloa eminii Urochloa eminii Urochloa oligotricha Urochloa oligotricha Urochloa platyrrhachis Urochloa platyrrhachis Urochloa trichopus Urochloa trichopus Variable paspalum Paspalum variabile Varicoloured oat-grass Helictotrichon versicolor Vaseyochloa Vaseyochloa 1 item Vavilov oat Avena vaviloviana Velvet bentgrass Agrostis gracililaxa Velvet grass Holcus L. 2 items Ventenata Ventenata 2 items Ventricose goatgrass Aegilops ventricosa Vernal millet grass Milium vernale Versicolor fescue Festuca versicolor Violet fescue Festuca violacea Virginia wildrye Elymus virginicus Viviparous fescue Festuca vivipara Volga fescue Festuca wolgensis Vossia Vossia 1 item Vulpia Vulpia 2 items Vulpia ciliata Festuca ambigua Vulpia ciliata Vulpia ciliata Vulpiella Vulpiella 1 item Wangenheimia Wangenheimia 1 item Warty panicgrass Panicum verrucosum Water couch Elymus humidorum Water finger grass Paspalum repens Water-loving millet Panicum hygrocharis Water-loving paspalum Paspalum hydrophilum
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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.