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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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Cenchrus28 Brome25 Canary grass6 Capillipedium4 Calamovilfa3 Catapodium2 Brookgrass1 Castellia1 Catalepis1
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Broadleaf rice Oryza latifolia Brome Bromus L. 25 items Brome grass Bromus ployanthus Bromus adoensis Bromus adoensis Bromus briziformis Bromus briziformis Bromus bromoideus Bromus bromoideus Bromus grossus Bromus grossus Bromus nervosus Bromus nervosus Bromus pseudobrachystachys Bromus pseudobrachystachys Bromus pseudosecalinus Bromus pseudosecalinus Bromus pseudothominii Bromus pseudothominii Bromus remotiflorus Bromus remotiflorus Bromus sericeus Bromus sericeus Bromus stamineus Bromus stamineus Bromus tomentellus Bromus tomentellus Brook fescue Festuca rivularis Brookgrass Catabrosa 1 item Broom brome Bromus scoparius Broomcorn millet Panicum glabrifolium Brown beetle grass Leptochloa fusca Brown urochloa Urochloa fusca Brown's leptochloa Leptochloa brownii Brown's lovegrass Eragrostis brownii Bulbous barley Hordeum bulbosum Bulbous melic Melica bulbosa Bulrush millet Panicum turgidum Bunge's needlegrass Stipa bungeana Burmann's basketgrass Oplismenus burmannii Burmese lovegrass Eragrostis burmanica Bush muhly Muhlenbergia porteri Bushy bluestem Andropogon glomeratus Button grass Dactyloctenium radulans Calabrian fescue Festuca calabrica Calamovilfa Calamovilfa 3 items California needlegrass Stipa californica Callieri's Fescue Festuca callieri Canary grass Phalaris 6 items Canary grass Phalaris coerulescens Canary grass Phalaris hispanica Canary melic Melica canariensis Canary ryegrass Lolium canariense Cane bluestem Bothriochloa barbinodis Cape needlegrass Stipa capensis Capillipedium Capillipedium 4 items Cappadocian brome Bromus cappadocicus Carolina canarygrass Phalaris caroliniana Carolina foxtail Alopecurus carolinianus Carpathian fescue Festuca carpatica Castellia Castellia 1 item Catalepis Catalepis 1 item Catapodium Catapodium 2 items Catchfly grass Leersia lenticularis Cayenne panicgrass Panicum cayennense Celakovsky's needle grass Stipa celakovskyi Cenchrus Cenchrus x Megathyrsus Cenchrus Cenchrus L. 28 items Cenchrus caliculatus Cenchrus caliculatus Cenchrus divisus Cenchrus divisus Cenchrus geniculatus Cenchrus geniculatus Cenchrus hohenackeri Cenchrus hohenackeri

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.