Field Guide of Discovery-based Exercises for - Aseanipm ...

Glossary
material input cost is the total cost of all materials used in each enterprise such as seeds, fertilizers, and
herbicides, among others.
maturity index refers to signs expressed by a crop to show that it is ready for harvest.
methodology refers to the various ways and means by which the dissemination of concepts, ideas, knowledge,
and skills can be affected. This may include the definition of instructional media and the materials to be
used as aids in facilitating the learning process.
microbial-based fertilizers are organic fertilizers consisting prepared from live cells of micro-organism
strains. Some of these microbes could fix air nitrogen, render phosphate soluble, or degrade cellulose.
miner insects refer to a group of destructive insects whose immature stages puncture or mine on leaves down
to petiole and stem of plant.
mulching is the practice of covering bare soil around the stem of a growing plant with a layer of organic
materials, plastic, and other appropriate materials primarily to conserve soil moisture, suppress growth
of weeds, minimize splash soil erosion, and soft rot or other soil-borne disease infections.
Natural enemy refers to a beneficial insect, a predator, a parasitoid or an insect pathogen utilized for the
control of insect pests.
Natural pest control is the conservation of beneficial insects, predators, and parasitoids by preventing their destruction or
preserving their habitat. Choice of plant varieties, maintenance of alternative hosts, and proper soil management are
among the tactics employed to keep beneficial species active and populous enough to control pests.
Need-based or threshold-based insecticide application means any insecticide treatment undertaken only
when actual pest population exceeds a predetermined threshold level.
Nematodes are active, slender, threadlike roundworms about 1/70th of an inch long. Their mouthpart is
equipped with a tiny spear or stylet, which they use to puncture plant cells to obtain plant juices. A
number of plant parasitic nematodes feed from the outside of the roots, stems, buds, and leaves. Others
feed by tunneling through the roots.
Net return or net income refers to the difference between gross return less and total cost of labor and
materials in every enterprise.
Nitrogen fertilizer refers to any fertilizer material containing nitrogen element or compound.
Nitrogen fixation refers to fixation of elemental nitrogen into compounds usable by plants through microbial
processes in soils. Blue green algae and certain actinomycetes are significant nitrogen fixing organisms.
But worldwide, bacteria are probably most important group in capture of gaseous nitrogen.
Nitrogen-fixing bacterium (NFB) refers to a microbial-based fertilizer consisting of powdered inoculants belonging
to genus Azospirillum, a bacterium isolated from roots of ‘talahib’ [Saccharum spontaneum] grass.
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