Thesaurus of Sustainability

What is nutrient leakage/run-off?

Nutrient leakage is the movement of nutrients from soil to surface water and groundwater. Nutrient leakage can decrease the efficiency of fertilization (lost money for the farmer and reduced yield […]

What are biostimulants?

By the term biostimulants, we describe products that do not directly fall under Plant Protection Products as they do not show direct toxicity against crop enemies, neither under the category […]

What is a host plant?

As host plant or host crop, we define the plant that an organism (a pest, pathogen, parasitic weed) uses as a necessary food source (for survival or just nourishment) or […]

What is plant resistance (e.g. to a pathogen or pest)?

Like animals, plants have an immune system that can recognize threats (like pathogens) and initiate an immune response to defend themselves. Plant disease resistance is the ability of the plant […]

What is plant tolerance (to a pathogen or an abiotic factor)?

Tolerance occurs when plant traits allow insects to feed on them or pathogens to infect them. Still, the plant controls-restricts the level of damage (per unit of insect/pathogen present) and […]

What are the broad-spectrum pesticides?

Pesticides that cause toxicity to a wide range of organisms are called broad-spectrum pesticides. In contrast, selective pesticides attack a narrow range of organisms (bugs, broadleaf weeds, and oomycetes). Their […]

Which are the biotic and abiotic stresses in agriculture?

As abiotic stress, we define an external environmental factor that has a negative effect (stress) on the growth, performance, or survival of the plant (or animal) species. Some common abiotic […]

What is fallow land – fallowing?

Fallowing is the process of leaving a plot of land uncultivated for one or more seasons as part of crop rotation. After years of monoculture, the soil recovers its moisture […]

What are the agrochemicals?

Agrochemicals are all the chemicals used in agriculture, including pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, plant growth regulators (hormones), and biostimulants. Farmers use pesticides to manage/control crop “enemies” and fertilizers to promote growth […]

What is Soil Organic Matter?

The soil organic matter content of a soil can play a key role in its health, affecting more than one of the characteristics mentioned above. It is the fraction of […]