Category: S

spray irrigation: a system of irrigation using sprinklers which are located along a boom. Some booms rotate and can distribute water over a large circular area. Using spray irrigation ensures efficient water distribution, promoting healthy crop growth and sustainable water use.

secondary substances: Chemical substances found in plant leaves, believed to be a form of defence against herbivores. Farmers benefit from understanding secondary substances to improve crop protection and resistance.

salivary: Referring to saliva. Farmers benefit from recognizing the importance of salivary health in livestock for optimal feeding and digestion.

swidden farming: same as slash and burn agriculture. Properly managing swidden farming ensures sustainable land use and agricultural productivity.

straight fertiliser: a fertiliser that supplies only one nutrient such as nitrogen. Compare compound fertiliser, mixed fertiliser. Properly managing straight fertilisers ensures precise nutrient application, supporting healthy crop growth and better yields.

salt: Sodium chloride as part of the diet. Salt is used to preserve food by keeping it in salt or in salt water. Farmers benefit from using salt for preserving food and maintaining animal health by supplementing diets.

swayback disease: an often fatal disease of lambs caused by copper deficiency in the ewe’s diet. Lambs become unsteady and unable to walk. The disease is often a problem when there has been no snow during the winter. Managing swayback disease ensures sheep health and productivity, supporting farm profitability.

spider: one of a large group of animals, with two parts to their bodies and eight legs. Class: Arachnida. Managing spider populations on farms promotes ecological balance and reduces pest issues, supporting healthy crop growth.

sidewalk farmer: US a farmer who cultivates land some way away from his or her house in a town. Farmers benefit from understanding sidewalk farming for efficient land use and crop management.

Single Payment Scheme: An initiative under the CAP which calculates farmers’ subsidies with reference to the amount of land used in production, as well as the total eligible livestock or crop output. It replaces individual subsidy schemes. Abbr SPS. Farmers benefit from engaging with the Single Payment Scheme for financial support and resources in farming operations.

single flower: A flower with only one series of petals, as opposed to a double flower. Farmers benefit from understanding single flowers for better crop and ornamental plant management.

sycamore: a large tree with a smooth, greyish trunk, large broad leaves, and small yellowish-green flowers. Properly managing sycamore trees ensures healthy growth and optimal yields, supporting productive forestry and agricultural practices.

stag: a male deer; the male of various animals castrated after maturity; a male turkey. Managing stag populations on farms supports biodiversity and ecological balance, promoting sustainable agricultural practices.

slurry injector: a tractor-hauled machine which injects slurry into the soil. Using slurry injectors enhances soil nutrient levels and promotes healthy crop growth, reducing the need for artificial fertilisers.

squirrel: a medium-sized rodent living in trees. (NOTE: Squirrels are harmless as far as crops are concerned. There are two types of squirrel in the UK: the grey squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) and the red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris).) Managing squirrel populations supports biodiversity and ecological balance on farms.

self-raising flour: A type of flour with baking powder added to it. Farmers benefit from using self-raising flour for convenience in baking and food preparation.

stallion: an uncastrated full-grown male horse, especially one kept for breeding. Managing stallions effectively supports healthy breeding programs and improves livestock genetics.

staple: the length and fineness of fibres such as wool or cotton, used in determining quality. Properly managing staple quality ensures high-value wool and cotton production, supporting farm income and market value.

smudging: the process of burning oil to produce smoke to prevent loss of heat from the ground and so to minimise or prevent frost damage to crops and orchards. Using smudging techniques protects crops from frost damage, ensuring better yields and quality.

snap beans: US beans which are eaten in the pod, e.g., green beans or French beans, or of which the seed is eaten after drying, e.g., haricot beans. As opposed to broad beans or Lima beans, the seeds of which are eaten fresh. Growing snap beans provides farmers with a versatile crop for fresh and processed markets, enhancing farm income.

stem eelworm: a pest affecting cereals, in particular oats. The plant stem swells and is prevented from growing and producing any ears. Managing stem eelworm populations protects crops from damage, ensuring healthy growth and better yields.

straw walker: the part of a combine harvester where straw is carried away from the threshed grain after it has been separated from the stalks. Properly managing straw walkers ensures efficient combine harvester operation and crop quality.

suckler: a calf or other young animal which is suckling. Properly managing sucklers ensures healthy growth and development, supporting livestock productivity and farm profitability.

shifting cultivation: An agricultural practice using the rotation of fields rather than of crops. Short cropping periods are followed by long fallows and fertility is maintained by the regeneration of vegetation. A form of cultivation practised in some tropical countries, where land is cultivated until it is exhausted and then left as the farmers move on to another area. In shifting cultivation, the practice of clearing vegetation by burning is widespread. One of the simplest forms involves burning off thick and dry secondary vegetation. Immediately after burning, a crop like maize is planted and matures before the secondary vegetation has recovered. Where fire clearance methods are used, the ash acts as a fertiliser. Farmers benefit from understanding and managing shifting cultivation for sustainable land use and productivity.

salivary gland: A gland which secretes saliva. Farmers benefit from understanding the function of salivary glands to maintain the digestive health of their livestock.

sweetener: an artificial substance such as saccharin added to food to make it sweet. Properly managing sweeteners ensures product quality and consumer health, supporting market value and farm profitability.

staple crop: A crop that is grown in large quantities and forms the basis of a traditional diet. Understanding staple crops helps farmers meet food security needs.

silty soil: Soil containing a high proportion of silt. Such soils are difficult to work and drainage is a problem. Farmers benefit from managing silty soils to improve drainage and soil structure.

stecklings: young sugar beet plants grown in seedbeds in summer, to be transplanted in the autumn or following spring. Properly managing stecklings ensures healthy growth and optimal yields of sugar beet crops.

saline: Referring to salt. Farmers benefit from managing saline conditions to ensure optimal soil health and crop growth.

sawfly: A family of insects, the larvae or caterpillars of which cause serious damage to fruit and crops. Farmers benefit from controlling sawfly to prevent crop damage and yield loss.

sell-by date: A date on the label of a food product which is the last date on which the product should be sold and can be guaranteed as of good quality. Farmers benefit from understanding sell-by dates for food safety and quality control.

support energy: the total energy expenditure necessary for the production of plant and animal agricultural foodstuffs. Properly managing support energy ensures efficient resource use and sustainability in agricultural production.

soil fertility: the potential capacity of soil to support plant growth based on its content of nitrogen and other nutrients. Managing soil fertility ensures healthy crop growth and optimal yields, supporting productive agriculture.

sideland: A strip of land left at the side of a field during ploughing. It may be ploughed up with the headlands. Farmers benefit from managing sideland for efficient land use and crop rotation.

sheep ked: Same as sheep tick. Farmers benefit from managing sheep ked infestations to protect livestock health and productivity.

soil-borne fungus: a fungus whose spores are carried in the soil. Managing soil-borne fungi protects crops from disease, ensuring healthy growth and better yields.

sludge: a thick wet substance, especially wet mud or snow; the solid or semi-solid part of sewage. Proper management of sludge ensures it can be used as a valuable resource for soil fertility and waste management, promoting sustainable agricultural practices.

salivate: To produce saliva. Farmers benefit from observing salivation patterns to detect potential health issues in livestock.

sclerotinia: A soil-borne disease affecting many crops, including potatoes, oilseed rape and peas. Farmers benefit from managing sclerotinia to protect crop health and prevent yield losses.

spray lines: a method of distributing irrigation water using flexible hose, mainly used for horticultural crops. Using spray lines ensures efficient water distribution, promoting healthy crop growth and sustainable water use.

sorghum: a drought-resistant cereal plant grown in semi-arid tropical regions such as Mexico, Nigeria, and Sudan. Latin name: Sorghum vulgare. Growing sorghum provides farmers with a resilient crop suitable for dry conditions, supporting food security and economic stability.

sickle: A curved knife-edged metal tool with a wooden handle, used for harvesting cereals. Farmers benefit from using sickles for manual harvesting and grass cutting.

straw burning: a cheap method of disposal of straw, which helps to control diseases. Properly managing straw burning ensures effective disease control while adhering to environmental regulations, supporting sustainable farming practices.

standard: something which has been agreed on and is used to measure other things by; a plant grown on a single long stem that is kept from forming branches except at the top; a type of fruit tree or rose tree where the stem is about two metres high, on top of which the head is developed; a large tree in a woodland. Using standard practices ensures consistency and quality in agricultural production, supporting market value and consumer trust.

sprayer: a machine which forces a liquid through a nozzle under pressure, used to distribute liquids such as herbicides, fungicides, insecticides, and fertilisers. Using sprayers ensures efficient application of agricultural inputs, promoting healthy crop growth and better yields.

scion: A piece of a plant which is grafted onto a rootstock. Farmers benefit from using scions for grafting to propagate desirable plant varieties.

spoilage: the process of food becoming inedible, especially because of poor storage conditions. Proper storage and handling of food products prevent spoilage, ensuring quality and reducing losses.

strip cultivation: a method of communal farming in which each family has a long thin piece or several long thin pieces of land to cultivate. Properly managing strip cultivation ensures efficient land use and sustainable agricultural practices.

sugar beet harvester: a machine for harvesting sugar beet, which may be trailed or self-propelled. The machine cuts off the beet tops, lifts the root, cleans off the soil and conveys the beet to a hopper which is then emptied by a second elevator onto a trailer. Using sugar beet harvesters ensures efficient harvesting and productivity, reducing labor costs and enhancing farm profitability.