Bud

Botany: 1. A small protuberance on a stem or branch, sometimes enclosed in protective scales and containing an undeveloped shoot, leaf, or flower. 2.The stage or condition of having buds: branches in full bud.

[Middle English budde.]
 

Epidermis

The outermost layer of cells covering the leaves and young parts of a plant.

[Late Latin, from Greek : epi-, epi- + derma, skin; see der- in Indo-European roots.]

Evaporation

To convert or change into a vapor. To draw off in the form of vapor. To draw moisture from, as by heating, leaving only the dry solid portion.

[Middle English evaporaten, from Latin vaprre, vaprt- : -, ex-, ex- + vapor, steam.]

Evapotranspiration (ET)

The sum of evaporation and plant transpiration.

Evapotranspiration is the water lost to the atmosphere by two processes-evaporation and transpiration. Evaporation is the loss from open bodies of water, such as lakes and reservoirs, wetlands, bare soil, and snow cover; transpiration is the loss from living-plant surfaces.

[See Evaporation and Transpiration]

IPM

Integrated Pest Management - An ecological approach to pest control, based upon sound biological knowledge and principles

Nitrogen

A colorless, tasteless, odorless gaseous chemical element forming nearly four fifths of the atmosphere: it is a component of all living things. Symbol N.

[From French nitrogene; from Greek nitron]

Phosphorus

A nonmetallic chemical element, normally a white, phosphorescent, waxy solid, becoming yellow when exposed to light: It is poisonous and unites easily with oxygen so that it ignites spontaneously at room temperature. Symbol P.

[From ModL; from L Phosphorus morning star; from Greek; from phs light + pherein to carry.]

Potassium

A soft, silver-white, wax-like metallic chemical element that oxidized rapidly when exposed to air: it occurs abundantly in nature in the form of its salts, which are used in fertilizers, glass, etc.: Symbol K.

[From potash ( from which it was first obtained). Potash: < Du pot pot < asch ash]

Soil pH

A symbol for the degree of acidity or alkalinity of a solution. pH values from 0 to 7 indicate acidity, and from 7 to 14 indicate alkalinity.

[ p(otential of) h(ydrogen).]

Stoma

Botany: One of the minute pores in the epidermis of a leaf or stem through which gases and water vapor pass. Also called stomate.

[New Latin, from Greek, mouth.]
 

Stomata

The plural of stoma.

[New Latin, from Greek, mouth.]

Transpiration

The act or process of transpiring, especially through the stomata of plant tissue or the pores of the skin.

[French transpirer, from Medieval Latin trnsprre : Latin trns-, trans- + Latin sprre, to breathe.]

Transpire

To give off (vapor containing waste products) through the pores of the skin or the stomata of plant tissue.

[French transpirer, from Medieval Latin trnsprre : Latin trns-, trans- + Latin sprre, to breathe.]