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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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Dropseed9 Dichanthium5 Echinopogon5 Diheteropogon4 Dimeria3 Desmazeria2 Diarrhena2 Dichelachne2 Dinebra2 Diplachne2 Distichlis2 Drepanostachyum2 Desmostachya1 Dichaetaria1 Dinebra1 Dinochloa1 Disakisperma1 Disakisperma1 Dissanthelium1 Echinaria1
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Dense silkybent Apera interrupta Dense-spiked bristle grass Setaria pycnocoma Desert Bluegrass Bothriochloa ewartiana Desert oat grass Helictotrichon desertorum Desmazeria Desmazeria 2 items Desmostachya Desmostachya 1 item Diarrhena Diarrhena 2 items Dichaetaria Dichaetaria 1 item Dichanthelium strigosum Dichanthelium strigosum Dichanthium Dichanthium 5 items Dichanthium fecundum Dichanthium fecundum Dichanthium foveolatum Dichanthium foveolatum Dichanthium papillosum Dichanthium papillosum Dichanthium tenue Dichanthium tenue Dichanthium tenuiculum Dichanthium tenuiculum Dichelachne Dichelachne 2 items Digitaria diagonalis Digitaria diagonalis Diheteropogon Diheteropogon 4 items Dimeria Dimeria 3 items Dinebra Dinebra Jacq. 1 item Dinebra Dinebra 2 items Dinochloa Dinochloa 1 item Diplachne Diplachne 2 items Disakisperma Disakisperma Steud. 1 item Disakisperma Disakisperma 1 item Dissanthelium Dissanthelium 1 item Distichlis Distichlis 2 items Distichlis distichophylla Distichlis distichophylla Distichlis stricta Distichlis stricta Downy oat-grass Helictotrichon pubescens Drege millet Panicum dregeanum Drepanostachyum Drepanostachyum 2 items Dropseed Sporobolus 9 items Drummond bluegrass Poa drummondiana Durban crowfoot Dactyloctenium australe Durieus bentgrass Agrostis durieui Duval fescue Festuca duvalii Dwarf bamboo Pseudosasa humilis Dwarf brome Bromus pumilio Early meadow-grass Poa infirma Eastern bottlebrush grass Elymus hystrix Echinaria Echinaria 1 item Echinatum timothy Phleum echinatum Echinolaena Echinolaena 1 item Echinopogon Echinopogon 5 items Ectrosia Ectrosia 1 item Edible sugarcane Saccharum edule Egyptian lovegrass Eragrostis aegyptiaca Ehrharta Ehrharta 1 item Ehrharta acuminata Ehrharta acuminata Ehrharta diplax Ehrharta diplax Ehrharta distichophylla Ehrharta distichophylla Ehrharta dura Ehrharta dura Ehrharta erecta Ehrharta erecta Ehrharta laevis Ehrharta laevis Ehrharta longiflora Ehrharta longiflora Ehrharta longifolia Ehrharta longifolia Ehrharta stipoides Ehrharta stipoides Ehrharta villosa Ehrharta villosa Elbe lovegrass Eragrostis albensis

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.