Sustainable Agriculture and the Environment in the Humid Tropics (1993) / Chapter Skim
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Glossary
Glossary
Pages 659-674
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From page 659... ...
agroecosystem A mode} for the functioning of an agricultural system with all its inputs and outputs. agroforestry A land use system in which woody perennials are deliberately used on the same land management unit as annual agricultural crops or animals, either sequentially or simultaneously, with the aim of obtaining greater outputs on a sustained basis.
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From page 660... ...
allelopathic effects The results of the biochemical suppression of the growth of one plant species by another, thus reducing competition for resources. For example, in a field succession, the pioneer weed stage is replaced by annual grasses because the weeds produce substances that inhibit the growth of other weeds.
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From page 661... ...
boundary planting The method of planting trees specifically to function as boundary markers, live fences, windbreaks, or firebreaks. Additional benefits include microclimate regulation and protection and the production of green manure, fodder, or fuelwood.
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From page 662... ...
corridor system See alley cropping. cover crop A crop grown for its value as ground cover to reduce soil erosion, retain soil moisture, provide nitrogen for subsequent crops, control pests, improve soil texture, increase organic matter, or control erosion; also known as living mulch and green manure.
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From page 663... ...
Soils of such recent development that they do not show a significant degree of horizon differentiation. This order includes Fluvents (well-drained young alluvial soiled, Psamments (acid infertile, deep sands)
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From page 664... ...
forest regeneration The process of a forest regrowing, without human intervention, as a result of both natural seed dispersal from adjacent undisturbed forest and stump sprouting. forest reserve An area of forest that is protected by laws against excessive tree cutting and burning, enabling protection of ecosystem functions, environmental services, cultural values, and biological diversity, and providing opportunities for research, education, recreation, and tourism.
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From page 665... ...
green revolution A term coined following the success of the International Rice Research Institute with rice and Centro Internacional de Mejoramiento de MA y Trigo with wheat when newly developed high-yielding varieties greatly increased crop production and changes occurred in research principles, management techniques, pesticide use, and other agroeconomic and sociopolitical aspects of food crop agriculture. greenhouse effect Warming of the earth's surface and the lower layers of atmosphere that tends to increase with greater atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration.
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From page 666... ...
home garden A cultivated and managed area, adjacent to or surrounding a house, in which mixtures of plant species are grown and livestock is kept. humid tropics Those areas of the earth's land surface where the mean annual biotemperature in the lowlands is greater than 24°C (75°F)
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From page 667... ...
intensification The fuller use of land, water, and biotic resources to enhance agronomic performance. intensive Use of multiple cropping techniques, usually with significant nutrient inputs, to achieve high levels of crop productivity and high use of available water and sunlight throughout the year.
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From page 668... ...
natural forest management system Controlled and regulated harvesting of forest trees, combined with silvicultural and protective measures, to sustain and increase the commercial value of subsequent stands; relies on natural regeneration of native species. nitrogen fixation The conversion of atmospheric nitrogen gas to ammonia, nitrates, and other nitrogen-containing compounds, by nitrogen-fixing bacteria, photosynthetic bacteria, and blue-green
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From page 669... ...
The living organic matter in the soil decomposes the dead organic matter. Organic matter in soil can reduce soil erosion and increase moisture and soluble nutrient retention, cation exchange, and water infiltration.
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From page 670... ...
perverse policies National economic and land use policies that promote the inefficient and nonsustainable conversion of forests to other uses by measures such as tax incentives and credits, subsidized credit, timber pricing procedures, land subsidies and rents, concessions, tenure, and property rights. pest Any form of plant or animal life or any pathogenic agent that is injurious or potentially injurious to plants, animals, or their products.
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From page 671... ...
See nitrogen fixation. rill erosion ~An erosion process in which numerous small channels several inches deep are formed; occurs mainly on recently cultivated soils.
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From page 672... ...
spatial integration Interaction of land uses or agroecosystem components because of physical proximity as, for example, in strip cropping systems. species A group of actually or potentially interbreeding natural populations that are reproductively isolated from other such groups.
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From page 673... ...
swidden cultivation A traditional food-crop production system that involves partial clearing of vegetation (forest or bush fallow) followed by flash burning and short-term mixed intercropping; synonymous with shifting cultivation or slash-and-burn agriculture.
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From page 674... ...
wetlands Land or areas (as tidal flats and swamps) containing much soil moisture.
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