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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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Crabgrass67 Crabgrass13 Chusquea6 Coelachne4 Cortaderia4 Crested wheatgrass4 Cleistogenes3 Cock's-foot3 Coelorachis3 Chrysochloa2 Chrysopogon2 Cornucopiae2 Crested dog's-tail2 Chondrosum1 Cinna1 Cinnagrostis1 Cleistachne1 Coelachyrum1 Coleanthus1 Common reed1
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Chloris ventricosa Chloris ventricosa Chodat fescue Festuca chodatiana Chondrosum Chondrosum 1 item Chrysochloa Chrysochloa 2 items Chrysopogon Chrysopogon 2 items Chrysopogon arcuatus Chrysopogon arcuatus Chrysopogon argutus Chrysopogon argutus Chrysopogon asper Chrysopogon asper Chrysopogon aucheri Chrysopogon aucheri Chrysopogon fallax Chrysopogon fallax Chrysopogon filipes Chrysopogon filipes Chrysopogon fulvus Chrysopogon fulvus Chrysopogon gryllus Chrysopogon gryllus Chrysopogon nigritanus Chrysopogon nigritanus Chrysopogon orientalis Chrysopogon orientalis Chusquea Chusquea 6 items Ciliate wheatgrass Elymus ciliaris Cinna Cinna 1 item Cinnagrostis Cinnagrostis 1 item Citronella Cymbopogon nardus Cleistachne Cleistachne 1 item Cleistogenes Cleistogenes 3 items Clival foxtail Setaria clivalis Club bent Agrostis clavata Clubawn Corynephorus Coastal fescue Festuca littoralis Coastal saltgrass Distichlis littoralis Cock's-foot Dactylis L. 3 items Cockayne's bluegrass Poa cockayniana Coelachne Coelachne 4 items Coelachyrum Coelachyrum 1 item Coelorachis Coelorachis 3 items Coix aquatica Coix aquatica Coleanthus Coleanthus 1 item Common oat Avena cultiformis Common reed Phragmites 1 item Compressed oat-grass Helictotrichon compressum Copper burr grass Cenchrus cupreus Cordgrass Spartina Schreb. 1 item Cornucopiae Cornucopiae 2 items Coromandel dropseed Sporobolus coromandelianus Corsican fescue Festuca cyrnea Cortaderia Cortaderia Stapf 1 item Cortaderia Cortaderia 4 items Corynephorus divaricatus Corynephorus divaricatus Corynephorus fasciculatus Corynephorus fasciculatus Corynephorus macrantherus Corynephorus macrantherus Crabgrass Digitaria Haller 13 items Crabgrass Digitaria 67 items Creeping alkaligrass Puccinellia phryganodes Creeping foxtail Alopecurus utriculatus Creeping lovegrass Eragrostis hypnoides Creeping lovegrass Eragrostis repens Creeping lovegrass Eragrostis reptans Creeping mannagrass Glyceria leptorrhiza Creeping mannagrass Glyceria spicata Creeping vernal grass Anthoxanthum repens Crested dog's-tail Cynosurus 2 items Crested fescue Festuca pectinella Crested wheatgrass Agropyron Gaertn. 4 items

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.