| Actinomycetes: |
Any of a group of generally
low-oxygen–utilizing bacteria identified by a branching growth pattern that results in
large threadlike structures. Many species occur in soil and are harmless
to animals and higher plants.
|
| Adjuvant: |
An ingredient that improves the properties of a formulation to which
it has been added. |
| Aerate/aeration: |
To supply with air or expose to the
circulation of air: aerate soil or soil aeration. |
| Aerobic: |
Literally, "with
oxygen." Life or biological processes that can occur only in the
presence of oxygen, such as the
digestion of organic matter by bacteria. |
| Anaerobic: |
"Without oxygen." A biological process occurring in the absence of
oxygen. Marked by a foul odor. |
Arthropod:
(Greek--joint foot) |
Any of numerous invertebrate animals of the phylum (family) Arthropoda,
including the insects, crustaceans, arachnids, and myriapods, that are
characterized by a chitinous
exoskeleton and a segmented body to which
jointed appendages are articulated in pairs. |
| Bacteria: |
Microscopic single-celled organisms lacking a nucleus. They are structured as
either rod-shaped, sphere-shaped or spiral-shaped. |
Beetle mites:
(Acari) |
Heavily armored fungus- and needle-eaters. |
| Best management
practices: |
The most effective and practicable method of
preventing or reducing the amount of pollution generated by pollution
sources. Often abbreviated BMPs. |
| Bioaerosols: |
Airborne particles of biological origin
including bacteria, and viruses, fungi and yeasts, pollens and
organic
matter. |
| Bioassay: |
Appraisal
of the biological activity of a substance by testing its effect on an
organism and comparing the result with some agreed standard.
|
| Biodiversity: |
The variability among living organisms on
the earth, including the variability within and between species and
within and between ecosystems.
|
| Biofiltration: |
The harnessing of natural processes for
volatile organic compounds (VOC)
and odor control. Example: an air stream is passed through a biofilter
containing microorganisms, which metabolize the VOCs, turning them into
carbon dioxide and water. |
| Bioremediation: |
The use of plants or microorganisms to clean up pollution or to solve
other environmental problems. |
| Biosolids: |
The nutrient-rich organic
materials resulting from the treatment of sewage sludge and wastewater. |
| CAFO: |
-- Combined animal feeding operation. Animal feeding operations (AFOs)
are livestock-raising operations, such as hog, cattle and poultry farms, which
confine and concentrate animal populations and their wastes. CAFO is the largest
category of AFO with greater than
1,000 "animal units" and is a
significant contributor to the pollution of waters of the U.S. |
| Casing layer: |
A moist layer of peat moss mixed with a
small amount of calcium carbonate that growers apply over
mycelium
to retain moisture and provide a growing surface for mushrooms. |
| Catchment: |
a) A catching or collecting of water,
especially rainwater. b) A structure, such as a basin or reservoir, used
for collecting or draining water. c) The amount of water collected in
such structure. d) A catchment area. |
| Cellobiose: |
A disaccharide obtained by the
hydrolysis of
cellulose by cellulase. Formula: C12H22O11 |
| Cellulase: |
Any
enzyme that converts cellulose to the disaccharide
cellobiose. |
| Cellulose: |
The
main substance in the cell walls of plants, which is used in making
paper, artificial fibers, and plastics. |
| Chitin: |
White, horny substance found in the outer skeleton of insects, crabs,
and lobsters and in the internal structures of other
invertebrates. |
| CNMP: |
-- Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plan is a conservation plan
that is unique to animal feeding operations and which incorporates
environmental practices to utilize animal manure and organic by-products
as a beneficial resource to ensure that both production and natural
resource protection goals are achieved. |
| Co-composting: |
The process of blending
biosolids with
manure or other green waste materials to produce compost. Co-composting
includes both the active and curing phases of the composting process. |
| Compost: |
The product resulting from the controlled
biological decomposition of organic material. Compost feedstock
materials include landscape trimmings, agricultural crop residues, paper
pulp, food scrap, wood chips, manure and bio-solids. |
| Composting: |
The biological decomposition process of
organic materials such as leaves, grass clippings, brush, and food waste
into a soil amendment. |
| Conversion
technology: |
Term used for the technologies that convert
unwanted organic materials into high-value products such as energy,
alternative fuels, solvents, and other products. |
| Cover crop: |
A crop, such as clover, planted between
periods of regular crop production to control weeds, prevent soil
erosion and provide humus or nitrogen to the soil. |
| Crown: |
The
junction of root and stem, usually at the level of the ground. |
| Decomposer: |
An organism that feeds on and breaks down organic materials into
simpler chemical compounds. |
| Decomposition: |
The process by which organic materials chemically
break down into simpler compounds. |
|
Disaccharide: |
Any of a class of sugars, such as maltose,
lactose, and sucrose, having two linked monosaccharide units per molecule. |
| Ecosystem: |
All the living things in an area and the way they affect each other
and the environment. |
| Exoskeleton: |
An external supportive covering of an animal (as an
arthropod). |
| Feedstock: |
The raw material used for chemical or
biological processes. For example, in composting feedstock might include
grass clippings, leaves, food scraps, plant trimmings, straw, and animal
bedding. |
| Foliage: |
The leaves of plants or trees. |
| Food scraps: |
All excess food, including
surplus, spoiled, or unsold food such as vegetables and culls (lower
quality vegetables or trimmings such as onion peels or carrot tops), as
well as plate scrapings. Food scraps are also called food
remnants, food residuals, or food waste. |
| Food waste: |
Used both as a verb and as a
noun, it refers to all surplus food. The term has fallen out of favor
with composters, who prefer to view this material as a resource rather
than as waste material. |
| Food Web: |
The totality of interacting food chains in an ecological community. |
| Fulvic acid: |
A yellow to yellow-brown humic substance that is soluble in water
under all pH conditions. |
| Fungi: |
Saprophytic and parasitic plants that lack chlorophyll and include molds, rusts, mildews, smuts and mushrooms. |
| |
|
| Grasscycling: |
The natural recycling of grass by leaving
clippings on the lawn when mowing. Grass clippings will quickly
decompose, returning valuable nutrients to the soil. |
| Green waste: |
A term used to refer to urban landscape
waste generally consisting of leaves, grass clippings, weeds, yard
trimmings, wood waste, branches and stumps, home garden residues, and
other miscellaneous organic materials. |
| Heavy Metals: |
Not rock music, but in science, a common hazardous waste that
can damage organisms at low concentrations and which tends to accumulate
in the food chain. |
| Hessian: |
No, not a German mercenary or
native of Hesse. In this instance, hessian is referring to a coarse sack
cloth made from hemp. |
| Homopteran: |
Any of an order or suborder of insects (as cicadas, aphids, and scale
insects) that have sucking mouthparts. |
| Humic Acid: |
Any of various organic acids obtained from humus. |
| Humus: |
Not a Middle-Eastern dish, but
the organic component of soil formed by the decomposition of animal or
vegetable matter. |
| Hydrolysis: |
A catch-all term for any reaction in which the water molecule is
split. |
| Hyphae: |
The
plural of hypha, which is any
of the filaments that constitute the body (mycelium)
of a fungus. |
| Inoculate: |
To implant microorganisms onto or into a culture medium. |
| Inorganic matter: |
from a non-living source such as rocks, sand and plastic. |
| Integrated pest management
(IPM): |
Integrated pest management (IPM) is an
ecosystem-based strategy that focuses on long-term prevention of pests
or their damage through a combination of techniques such as biological
control, habitat manipulation, modification of cultural practices, and
use of resistant varieties. Pesticides are used only after monitoring
indicates they are needed according to established guidelines, and
treatments are made with the goal of removing only the target organism. |
| Invertebrate: |
An organism lacking a spinal column. |
|
Laminarinase: |
A polysaccharide that is found
in various brown algae and yields only glucose on hydrolysis. |
| Leftovers: |
May refer to food prepared in
excess that has not been served but may be collected for a human food
donation or recovery program. Leftovers can also refer to plate
scrapings that are not appropriate for human consumption. |
| Lerp Psyllid: |
A plant-juice sucking homopterans in the insect family Psyllidae.
Redgum lerp psyllid nymphs (immatures) form a cover called a "lerp,"
which is a small white, hemispherical cap composed of solidified
honeydew and wax. |
| Lignin: |
A complex polymer, the chief non-carbohydrate constituent of wood, that
binds to cellulose fibers and hardens and strengthens the cell walls of
plants.
|
Mesophilic:
(Gr.--Cold loving) |
Describes bacteria which are active in the temperature range between
40-110 degrees Fahrenheit, but thrive between 70-90 degrees Fahrenheit.
Most of the decomposition that takes place in a compost pile is
mesophilic. |
| Microbial
spore suspensions: |
Microscopically visible particles dispersed throughout a less dense
liquid from which they are easily filtered but not easily settled
because of system viscocity or molecular interactions. Or, compost tea! |
| Microorganisms: |
Microscopically small living things that digest organic material
through metabolic activity. |
| Mold: |
A superficial often woolly growth produced especially on damp or
decaying organic matter or on living organisms. |
| Monosaccharides: |
A sugar not decomposable to simpler sugars
by hydrolysis. |
| Morphology: |
The form and structure of an organism or any of its parts |
| Mulch: |
Generally, mulch is a layer of organic
material spread over the bare surface of soil to block the loss of
moisture and to discourage the growth of weeds. For these pages, mulch
is the term used to refer to non-composted materials, such as shredded
or chipped bark, which eventually rot and add l to the soil, enhancing its fertility. |
| Municipal organic
materials: |
Organic materials generated by residential,
business, institutional, and agricultural sources, which are then
collected and sent to City and county waste facilities. |
| Municipal solid waste (MSW): |
Garbage. Refuse offering the potential for energy recovery; includes
residential, commercial, and institutional wastes. |
| Mycelium: |
The body of a fungus, composed of many
threads of tissue. Mushrooms do not reproduce by seed, but by spores.
The spores germinate to produce threadlike structures known as
hyphae.
Collectively, a mass of hyphae are known as the mycelium. |
| Myriapoda: |
Any of a group of arthropods having the body made up of numerous
similar segments nearly all of which bear true jointed legs and
including the millipedes and centipedes. |
| Native plant: |
The native plants of a given area are those
that grew there prior to European contact. Native plants have co-evolved
with animals, fungi, and microbes to form a complex network of
relationships. These plants are the foundation of native
ecosystems, or
natural communities. |
| Nematode: |
Any un-segmented worm of the
class
Nematoda, having a tough outer cuticle. The group includes
free-living forms and disease-causing parasites, such as the hookworm and
filaria.
Also called: nematode worm, roundworm |
| Nitrates: |
A compound containing nitrogen and oxygen that can exist in the
atmosphere or in water and that can have harmful effects on humans and
animals at high concentrations. |
| Non-Aerated: |
No air or circulation of air. |
| |
|
| Nonpoint
source
pollution: |
Diffuse discharges of waste throughout the
natural environment which are a major cause of water pollution.
Difficult to pinpoint physically, but can be classified by type: urban
runoff, agriculture, mining, septic tank leach fields, and
silviculture. |
| Organic matter: |
Derived from or produced through the biological activity of a living thing. |
| Parasite: |
An organism living in, with, or on another organism for existence or
support without making a useful or adequate return. |
| Pathogen: |
Any organism capable of producing disease or infection. Found in animal waste
material, pathogens are killed by the high temperatures (131 degrees Fahrenheit
or higher for 3 days) of the composting process. |
|
Phyllosphere: |
The three-dimensional micro-environmental space surrounding a leaf. |
| Phylloxera: |
Scientific
Name: Daktulosphaira vitifoliae--a tiny aphid-like insect
that feeds on Vitis vinifera grape roots, stunting growth of
vines or killing them. |
| Phylum: |
A series of animals or plants genetically connected by one or more
fundamental characteristics that set them apart from all other animals
and plants and forming a primary category of the animal or plant
kingdom. |
| Phytophthora
cinnamomi: |
A
destructive parasitic fungi causing root rot in plants. |
| Phytophthora
ramorum: |
A newly identified plant pathogen that
causes Sudden Oak Death in a variety of hosts. |
|
Polysaccharide: |
A carbohydrate that can be
decomposed by hydrolysis into two or more molecules of
monosaccharides;
especially : any of the more complex carbohydrates (as
cellulose, starch, or glycogen) |
| Preconsumer food
scraps: |
Food that has not made it to
a diner’s plate. Preconsumer scraps may include food processing
wastes such as vegetable culls, brewery by-products, coffee grounds, or
kitchen preparation wastes. Restaurants, for example, often cut off
inedible portions of food before serving it to diners. This can include
carrot tops, outer leaves of lettuce, broccoli stems, or similar
trimmings. |
| Postconsumer food
scraps: |
Food that has been served to
diners but is not eaten; also called plate scrapings. This may
include vegetables, salad dressings, sauces, cheese, meat, and bones
as well as nonfood items, such as napkins. If not separated, these and other
nonfood contaminants like straws, cups, and plastic utensils will be a
part of this blend. |
| Protozoa: |
Unicellular animals which have varied morphology and physiology, and
often complex life cycles. Represented in almost every kind of habitat. |
Psychrophilic:
(Gr.--Warmth loving) |
Describes bacteria which are active in a low temperature range (below 65 degrees
Fahrenheit), but thrive around 55 degrees Fahrenheit. |
|
Rhizome: |
An underground, horizontal plant
stem that produces shoots above and roots below, and is distinguished from
a true root in possessing buds, nodes, and usually scale-like leaves. |
|
Rhizosphere: |
The soil surrounding and directly influenced by plant roots. |
| Saprophytic: |
Obtaining food by absorbing dissolved organic material. |
| Side dressing: |
The application of fertilizer or organic matter around a plant, the material being left on the soil surface rather than being dug in. Also known as top dressing. |
| Silviculture: |
The care and cultivation of forest trees;
forestry. |
| Soil amendment: |
A material, such as organic matter or sand,
mixed into soil to improve growing conditions. |
| Soluble: |
Susceptible of being dissolved in or as if in a liquid and especially
water. |
| Spawn: |
The term used for the combination of
mycelium and
substrate is spawn. This can be thought of
as the vegetative part of the mushroom. |
| Stolon: |
A horizontal stem at or just below the surface of the ground that
roots at the nodes and produces new plants. Also called "runners."
|
| Substrate: |
Any combination of materials that provide
support, water retention, aeration, or nutrient retention for plant
growth.
In this instance, substrate is compost into which mushroom
spawn is distributed. |
| Sudden Oak Death: |
A disease infecting oaks and several other
ornamental plants that were noticed in recent years in coastal
California and small geographic area of Oregon. |
| Thatch: |
A mat of un-decomposed plant
material (as grass roots) accumulated next to the soil in a grassy area
(as a lawn) |
Thermophilic:
(Gr.--Heat loving) |
Heat-loving; -- applied especially to certain bacteria requiring high
temperatures for normal development. |
| Tilth: |
The condition of soil or
land that has been tilled, especially with respect to suitability for promoting plant growth. |
| Trommel: |
A revolving cylindrical sieve used for
screening or sizing compost and mulch. |
| Vermicomposting: |
The process whereby worms feed on slowly
decomposing materials (e.g., vegetable scraps) in a controlled
environment to produce a nutrient-rich soil amendment. |
| Volatile Organic Compound
(VOC): |
Carbon-containing compounds that evaporate
into the air (with a few exceptions). VOCs contribute to the formation
of smog and/or may themselves be toxic. VOCs often have an odor, and
some examples include gasoline, alcohol, and the solvents used in
paints. |
| Watershed: |
The total land area that contributes water
to a river, stream, lake or other body of water. Synonymous with
drainage area, drainage basin, and
catchment. |
| Wood-overs: |
Also called "compost-overs,"
wood-overs are the
large, woody parts of the compost pile that have not completely broken
down and will not pass through a minus one-half inch
trommel screen. |
| Xeriscaping: |
The practice of landscaping with
slow-growing, drought-tolerant plants. |
