Agronomist dictionary: Growth and development

A

Growth and development

Adaptive potential

The inherent ability of a crop variety to maintain productivity and growth despite fluctuating environmental conditions and biotic or abiotic stresses.

Growth and development

Apical dominance

It is a biological phenomenon where the main central stem of a plant grows more strongly than other side stems due to the inhibitory effect of auxins.

B

Growth and development

Biological yield

This is the total dry matter accumulation of a crop, including both grain and vegetative parts, produced in a field before harvest.

Growth and development

Biomass

Biomass in agronomy is the total mass of living organisms or their products accumulated per unit area of crops or within the soil layer.

Growth and development

Branching pattern

The specific mode of lateral shoot development on the main stem that determines the architectural structure and vegetative density of a plant.

C

Growth and development

Coenosis

Coenosis is a grouping of living organisms inhabiting a specific environment and interacting with each other and their surroundings.

Growth and development

Crop Indexing

A method of quantifying crop condition using remote sensing based on the analysis of spectral properties of reflected light.

Growth and development

Cultivation

A shallow mechanical soil treatment practice used to loosen the soil, manage weeds, and prepare the seedbed without inverting the soil layers.

D

Growth and development

Determinacy

A biological trait of plants to cease the growth of the main stem after developing a specific number of inflorescences.

Growth and development

Differentiation of the growing point

A biological process where undifferentiated cells at the plant's shoot apical meristem develop into specific organs like leaves, stems, or reproductive spikelet...

Growth and development

Dormancy

Dormancy is a physiological state of arrested growth in seeds, buds, or tubers, where they fail to germinate even under favorable environmental conditions.

Growth and development

Dormancy

A biological state in which plant growth and metabolic activity are suspended or slowed down to survive adverse environmental conditions.

E

Growth and development

Etiolation

A process in plants grown in partial or complete absence of light, characterized by long, weak stems and pale leaves due to lack of chlorophyll.

F

Growth and development

Flag leaf

The flag leaf is the final leaf produced on the stem of a cereal plant, emerging immediately before the head or ear.

Growth and development

Flowering

Flowering is the physiological stage of plant development during which buds open to allow for pollination and the subsequent production of seeds or fruits.

Growth and development

Full maturity

The physiological stage of plant development where seeds or fruits reach their maximum mass, typical coloration, and potential for long-term storage or propagat...

G

Growth and development

Germination phase

This is the initial stage of plant development where a seed absorbs water, swells, and the primary embryonic root emerges.

Growth and development

Grain filling

Grain filling is the stage of crop development when nutrients are transported and stored within the grain, increasing its weight and size until maturity.

Growth and development

Growing point

The apical region of a shoot or root containing meristematic tissue responsible for cell division and the longitudinal growth of the plant.

H

Growth and development

Harvest index

A ratio representing the efficiency of a crop in converting its total biomass into the harvested economic yield.

Growth and development

Heading

The growth stage of cereal crops when the ear (spike) emerges from the sheath of the flag leaf, marking the transition to the reproductive phase.

Growth and development

Heterosis

Heterosis is the phenomenon where the progeny of two genetically diverse parents exhibit superior traits in growth, yield, and stress resistance compared to the...

I

Growth and development

Indeterminacy

A growth habit where plants continue to produce stems, leaves, and flowers indefinitely throughout the growing season rather than stopping at a specific size.

J

Growth and development

Jointing

The developmental stage in cereal crops where the first stem node appears above the soil surface and internodes begin to elongate.

L

Growth and development

Leaf Area Index

A dimensionless measure of the total green leaf area per unit of ground surface area.

Growth and development

Leaf Area Index (LAI)

A dimensionless quantity that characterizes plant canopies as the ratio of one-sided green leaf area per unit ground surface area.

Growth and development

Light stage

A specific physiological phase in plant development where light duration and quality are required to trigger the transition from vegetative growth to flowering.

Growth and development

Lodging

Lodging is the displacement of crop stems from their vertical position, resulting in the plants leaning or falling flat against the soil surface.

M

Growth and development

Milk-wax ripeness

A stage of cereal crop development where grain contents transition from a liquid to a dough-like consistency, marking the onset of moisture reduction.

O

Growth and development

Organogenesis

Organogenesis is the biological process by which plant organs are sequentially formed from meristematic tissues throughout the plant's life cycle.

Growth and development

Osmotic pressure

It is the physical force generated by solutes within plant cells that draws water through membranes, maintaining turgor and supporting cellular function.

P

Growth and development

Photoperiodism

Photoperiodism is the physiological reaction of organisms to the length of day or night, which controls key developmental processes like flowering and maturatio...

Growth and development

Photosynthesis

Photosynthesis is the biological process by which plants convert light energy into chemical energy, creating organic compounds essential for crop growth and yie...

Growth and development

Phototropism

Phototropism is the growth response of plants toward or away from an external directional light source.

Growth and development

Physiological aging

An irreversible process of gradual decline in metabolic activity and adaptive capacity of a plant, leading to the completion of its life cycle.

Growth and development

Plant antioxidant system

This is a complex set of enzymatic and non-enzymatic defensive mechanisms that neutralize reactive oxygen species to protect plant cells from environmental stre...

Growth and development

Post-embryonic development

This is the stage of a plant's life cycle that begins after seed germination and continues until death or the completion of its life cycle.

R

Growth and development

Remontancy

The ability of plants to produce multiple crops or bloom continuously throughout a single growing season.

Growth and development

Reproductive phase

The developmental stage of a plant during which reproductive organs are formed, leading to flowering, pollination, and seed or fruit development.

Growth and development

Respiration rate

Respiration rate is the speed at which a plant or harvested produce consumes oxygen and releases carbon dioxide through metabolic processes.

Growth and development

Root pressure

The active force generated by plant roots that pushes water and dissolved minerals upward through the xylem vessels, ensuring nutrient transport independently o...

S

Growth and development

Seed productivity

The capacity of a crop plant to produce a specific quantity of high-quality seeds per unit area or per individual plant.

Growth and development

Seedlings

Seedlings are the early stage of plant development, occurring immediately after the seed germinates and the young shoot emerges from the soil surface.

Growth and development

Sink effect

The sink effect is a physiological process where plants mobilize and transport nutrients and photosynthates from source organs, like leaves, to storage organs,...

Growth and development

Stem elongation

A crop growth stage characterized by the rapid vertical growth of the stem and the formation of nodes above the soil surface.

Growth and development

Stress tolerance

The ability of agricultural crops to maintain productivity and viability when exposed to adverse environmental conditions.

T

Growth and development

Technical maturity

The stage of crop development when the produce reaches its optimal quality, size, and texture for processing, storage, or market distribution, prior to full bio...

Growth and development

Thermoperiodism

Thermoperiodism is the physiological response of plants to the alternation of day and night temperatures, influencing their growth, flowering, and metabolic eff...

Growth and development

Tillering

Tillering is the process of producing additional stems (tillers) from the base of a grass plant, which significantly impacts crop density and yield potential.

Growth and development

Tillering

Tillering is the development of lateral shoots from the base of cereal plants, increasing the total number of stems per plant.

Growth and development

Topping

An agricultural practice of removing the terminal bud or the top part of a plant's main stem to stop vertical growth and stimulate side development.

Growth and development

Transpiration

This is the process of water movement through a plant and its evaporation from aerial parts, such as leaves, stems, and flowers.

V

Growth and development

Vegetative phase

The stage of plant development between germination and the initiation of reproductive organs, primarily focusing on stem and leaf growth.

Growth and development

Vernalization

An agronomic practice of exposing seeds to low temperatures to accelerate the plant's transition to the reproductive flowering stage.

W

Growth and development

Waxy ripeness

A stage of cereal crop development where the grain loses moisture, hardens, and its texture becomes similar to wax.