Botanical Words Alphabetical List - SO

SOBOLE (sah'buh lee):A shoot, stolon, or sucker.

SOBOLIFEROUS: Producing suckers or lateral shoots from the ground, usually applied to shrubs or small trees.

SOD: 1. The upper stratum of grassland, containing the roots of grass and any other herbs that may be growing in it; the sward or turf. 2. A piece of this grassy layer pared or pulled off; a turf; a divot or fail.

SODIUM NITRATE: An inorganic fertilizer that adds nitrogen to the soil.

SOFTWOOD: Wood consisting of soft, immature tissue.

SOIL: 1. The upper layer of earth that can be plowed, dug, or tilled. 2. The earth's loose surface material in which plants grow. 3. Land.

SOIL AMENDMENT: 1. A soil additive. 2. What is required for the best plant productivity.

SOIL ANALYSIS: This is a chemical examination of a soil sample to find out its components in order to suggest amendments to improve the soil.

SOIL CLASSIFICATION: The systematic arrangement of soil into groups or categories according to the proportion of sand, silt, or clay that is in the soil.

SOIL CLIMATE: The moisture and temperature conditions existing in the soil.

SOIL PASTEURIZATION: A sterilization process of soil that destroys unacceptable organisms without chemically altering the soil.

SOLARIZATION: A process of sterilizing the soil and killing soil pests by covering the moist planting area with clear plastic and letting it "bake" for up to 6 months. This process is very effective in hot summer climates.

SOLUM: The upper part of a soil profile, above the parent material in which the processes of soil formation are active. Roots, plants, and animal-life characteristics of the soil are mainly confined to the solum.

SOMATOTROPIC: In botany, promoting growth.

SORUS: A fruit dot, or cluster of reproductive bodies occurring on lower plants such as ferns, lichens, and fungi; a familiar example is found in the clusters of sporangia on the undersides of the fronds of ferns.

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