GLOSSARY - The Manual of Seed Saving - page 273

HULL, HULLED The seeds of some cereal grains (most wheats, naked barley, rye) are not enclosed in
hulls and can be easily threshed. Other, hulled grains (barley, spelt) are tightly enclosed in tough
hulls; these grains must be hulled (that is, the hulls are to be removed) before eating.
INSECT MONITOR CARDS These cards are hung in the garden; they are colored yellow to attract a wide
variety of insects and covered with a non-toxic adhesive to catch said insects. Whiteflies, leafminer
fleas, winged aphids, fungus gnats, flea beetles, and more are attracted to these cards and stick to
them, thus allowing gardeners to monitor what kinds of insect pests are inhabiting their gardens.
Caution: beneficial insects can also be trapped by these cards.
LAMINA The usually flat, upper part of a leaf. It is also called the blade and is connected to the rest of
the plant by the leaf stem.
MILPA A kind of agriculture from Central America involving growing corn (maize), beans, and squash
together in a polyculture.
MYCELIUM A web of fungal hyphae (the vegetative growth of certain fungi).
NEEM INSECTICIDE An organic insecticide made from extracts of the crushed seeds of neem trees,
which are native to India. Use of neem insecticides must be specifically approved on certified-or-
ganic farms.
NEW WORLD See Old World.
OLD WORLD Name for Asia, Africa, and Europe, as opposed to the Americas, which make up the New
World.
OPEN-POLLINATED The genetic traits of open-pollinated plants are passed on in a continuous flow
from parent plants to their offspring (not the case for hybrid varieties). Local, heirloom and most or-
ganic varieties are open-pollinated.
ORGANIC AGRICULTURE Organic agriculture is a way of farming that involves working with natural
cycles and processes as much as possible. This approach can also be applied to gardening. The main
goal is handling natural resources (water, air quality, soil fertility) in the most sustainable way pos-
sible. Organic farmers and gardeners seek to maximize production within the general framework of
organic agriculture. They forgo the use of chemical fertilizers, drugs for livestock, synthetic pesti-
cides, and the like in favor of environmentally friendly principles and methods. Maintaining soil fer-
tility is at the heart of an organic farm. “Organic” is a regulated term that can be used only by grow-
ers and processors that meet certification standards.
OUTCROSSER A plant whose flowers are self-infertile, meaning they require pollen from a different
plant.
POLYCULTURE The growing of different crops close together (whether in neighboring rows, mixed
within rows, or mixed within a patch) for mutual benefit: one crop may repel a pest of another crop,
another crop may benefit from chemicals exuded by the roots of its neighbor (allelopathy), space
may simply be more efficiently used, etc.
PRECULTURE The process of germinating seeds indoors under controlled conditions. This is done so
that relatively large plants can be planted outdoors after the last spring frost (which would have oth-
erwise killed seedlings). This is also a method by which the growing season can be extended to give
plants enough time to produce ripe seed. Precultured plants need to be “hardened off” before being
planted out, that is, be slowly acclimated to outdoor conditions (direct sun, wind, etc.).