Weeds that complete their life cycle within one growing season, or year. From seed to flowering to seed before the year ends.

Mono-alkyl esters of long chain fatty acids derived from vegetable oils or animal fats for use in diesel engines. It refers to pure fuel before blending with diesel fuel. Biodiesel blends are denoted as, "BXX" with "XX" representing the percentage of biodiesel contained in the blend (ie: B20 is 20% biodiesel, 80% petroleum diesel).

The variety of life in all its forms, levels and combinations. Includes ecosystem diversity, species diversity, and genetic diversity (IUCN, UNEP and WWF, 1991).

Bioethanol is ethanol of biological origin. Crops containing sugar or starch grown for energy use include respectively sugar beet, sugar cane or maize and wheat crops, waste straw, willow and popular trees, sawdust, reed canary grass, switchgrass, cord grasses, jerusalem artichoke, Miscanthus and sorghum plants.

Fuel derived from biomass.

Crops used for the production of biofuels. At present, food crops like maize, rapeseed, canola and soybeans are used for the production of biofuels. In Brazil, ethanol is extracted directly from sugarcane. India is promoting Jatropha curcas plantation for the production of biodiesel. Oilpalm is another source of biofuel. Biofuel producing algae can be cultivated in salty ponds in conjunction with carbon power plants to capture their CO2 emissions. Biodiesel crops should preferably target land that is less favorable for food crop production such as marginal land, salt-affected land, wasteland, etc. to avoid unwarranted competition with food production.

Biogas typically refers to a (biofuel) gas produced by the anaerobic digestion or fermentation of organic matter including manure, sewage sludge, municipal solid waste, biodegradable waste or any other biodegradable feedstock, under anaerobic conditions. Biogas is comprised primarily of methane and carbon dioxide.

Mass of organic matter of non-fossil biological origin which can be exploited for energy purposes.

The leaves are "broad" as opposed to the "narrow" leaves of grasses. Also called 'dicots' having two seed leaves, while grasses are 'monocots' having one seed leaf.

Any tillage and planting system that covers 30 percent or more of the soil surface with crop residue, after planting, to reduce soil erosion by water.

Full width tillage which disturbs all of the soil surface and is performed prior to and/or during planting. There is less than 15 percent residue cover after planting. Generally involves plowing or intensive (numerous) tillage trips. Weed control is accomplished with crop protection products and/or row cultivation.

Cover crops are plants that are primarily planted not to be harvested for food but serve for soil erosion control, weed control and improving soil quality. They are usually ploughed or tilled under before the next food crop is planted, in which cases the "cover crop" is used as a soil amendment and is synonymous with "green manure crop."

Refers to the package of recommendations and available knowledge to address environmental, economic, and social sustainability for on-farm production and postproduction processes resulting in safe and healthy food and nonfood agricultural products. GAP may consist of guidelines addressing the issues of site selection, adjacent land use, fertilizer use, water sourcing and use, pest control and pesticide monitoring, harvesting practices (including worker hygiene, packaging, storage, field sanitation, and product transportation), and cooler operations.

The leaves are "narrow" as opposed to the "broad" leaves of broadleaved weeds. Also called 'monocots' having one seed leaf opposed to 'dicots' having two seed leaves.

A decision support system for crop protection which focuses on long-term prevention or suppression of pest problems with minimum impact on human health, the environment, and non-target organisms. IPM takes into consideration all available pest control techniques and tactics (cultural, mechanical, biological, chemical) IPM emphasizes the growth of healthy crops for better productivity with the least possible disruption to agroecosystems.

The natural process by which water soluble substances are carried downward through the soil into groundwater.

Least possible soil disturbance for preparing a seedbed by reducing cultivation and the use of a plough. It can involve direct drilling, broadcasting into existing stubbles or adopting a strategy of reduced tillage. The main benefits are to reduce tillage energy consumption, to conserve moisture and soil structure, to reduce disturbance on soil organisms and to retain plant cover to minimize erosion.

Full-width tillage involving one or more tillage trips which disturbs all of the soil surface and is done prior to and/or during planting. Weed control is accomplished with crop protection products and/or row cultivation.

A chemical product used for eliminating all types of weeds (annual and perennial grasses and broadleaved weeds).

Also known as conservation tillage or zero tillage is a way of growing crops from year to year without disturbing the soil through tillage i.e. cultivating the soil usually with tractor-drawn implements.

Weeds that return year after year. Some die back in the winter but their roots remain alive and reappear in spring, some don't die back and grow in size and stature the next season.

Full-width tillage which involving one or more tillage trips which disturbs all of the soil surface and is performed prior to and/or during planting. There is 15-30 percent residue cover after planting. Weed control is accomplished with crop protection products and/or row cultivation.

The inherited ability of a plant/weed to survive a dose of a herbicide normally lethal to that species.

A tillage system involving scalping and planting on ridges built during cultivation of the previous year's crop, residue is left on the surface between ridges.

Annual crops traditionally grown in wide rows, such as corn, soybeans and cotton.

The occurrence of surplus liquid (like rain) which originates upslope and is collected beyond the ability of the soil to absorb it. The surplus liquid then flows away over the surface to reach the nearest surface water (pond, lake, river).

A chemical product used for eliminating certain types of weeds only (i.e. either grasses or broadleaved weeds).

A form of agriculture, common in tropical regions, in which trees and natural undergrowth are cut down and burned, and crops are then grown on the bare soil for a few years until it loses its fertility.

Displacement of solids (soil, mud, rock and other particles) usually by the agents of currents such as, wind, water, or ice by downward or down-slope movement.

The responsible and ethical management of a crop protection product in a way that takes full and balanced account of the interests of users, future generations, and other species.

Management and conservation of the natural resource base and the orientation of technological and institutional change in a manner that ensures the continued production from the agricultural land for present and future generations. Such sustainable agriculture conserves land, water, and plant and animal genetic resources and is environmentally non-degrading, technically appropriate, economically viable, and socially acceptable. Sustainability rests on the principle that we must meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Therefore, stewardship of both natural and human resources is of prime importance.

A permanent change, a structural alteration, in the DNA or RNA that affects the mutant weed and all its offspring via seeds.

A change in the change in the weed community within a field i.e. relative abundance or type of weeds. This can be the result of a management practice like herbicide use or any other phenomenon that brings about a change in weed species composition. Species or biotypes adapted to current weed management practices increase, whereas weeds susceptible to those practices decrease.