Dictionary of Agriculture - N doc

Abbr NAWT National Assembly for Wales Agriculture and Rural Affairs Department National Assembly for Wales Agri-culture and Rural Affairs Depart-ment noun the department of the devolve

N

N symbol nitrogen

Na

Na symbol sodium

NABIM

Associa-tion of British and Irish Millers

NAC

NAC abbreviation National Agricultural

Centre

naked grain

that is easily separated or threshed out

from its husk, i.e in its caryopsis state

nanny goat

NASPM

Associa-tion of Seed Potato Merchants

National Agricultural Centre

the site of the annual Royal Show (at

Stoneleigh, in Warwickshire), owned by

the RASE Abbr NAC

National Animal Welfare Trust

a rescue centre with branches across the

UK, which provides short-term care and

rehabilitation for unwanted and abused

animals Abbr NAWT

National Assembly for Wales Agriculture and Rural Affairs Department

National Assembly for Wales

Agri-culture and Rural Affairs

Depart-ment noun the department of the

devolved Welsh Assembly government

which deals with farming, the

environ-ment, animal welfare and rural

develop-ment in Wales Abbr NAWARAD

National Canine Defence League

National Canine Defence League

noun former name for Dogs Trust

National Envelope

additional funds to help livestock

producers, e.g a beef national envelope

and a sheep national envelope

National Farmers’ Union

organisation representing the interests of

British farmers in negotiations with the

government and other agencies Abbr NFU

National Institute of Agricultural Botany

National Institute of Agricultural

which tests all new varieties of crops After

successful testing, the varieties are made available to farmers Abbr NIAB

national list

crop varieties tested by the NIAB and available for sale Under EU regulations, all seeds sold to farmers or horticulturists must be tested and certified

National Milk Records

company which keeps central records for dairy farmers Abbr NMR

National Nature Reserve

nationally important example of a type of habitat, established as reserve to protect the most important areas of wildlife habitat and geological formations Abbr NNR

(NOTE: There are over 200 National Nature Reserves in England, owned or controlled

by English Nature or held by approved bodies such as Wildlife Trusts.)

National Office of Animal Health

National Office of Animal Health

noun an organisation which represents the British animal medicines industry Abbr

NOAH

national park

selected because of its scenic, recreational, scientific, or historical importance for special protection from development, and managed by a local government body for recreational use by the public and the benefit of the local community

National Soil Resources Institute

National Soil Resources Institute

noun an association formed in 2001 which provides education and training in the fields of soil and land management prac-tice Abbr NSRI

National Union of Agricultural and Allied Workers

National Union of Agricultural and

RAAW

native

grown or existed in a place 쑗 Tigers are native to Asia.

169 necrosis

native breeds

have been developed in a country, and not

brought in from other countries

‘Three years on the project includes 17

farmers who have received grants to

establish herds of eight different native

breeds of cattle – and the beef from these

cattle is now being marketed as Limestone

Beef, generating a premium for the

producers involved.’ [Farmers Guardian]

natural

produced by nature not by humans 쑗

natural materials 쑗 areas of natural beauty

natural environment

natural habitat 2. the part of the Earth that

has not been built or formed by humans

Compare built environment

Natural Environment Research Council

Natural Environment Research

research and training in the environmental

sciences Abbr NERC

natural habitat

surroundings in which an organism lives in

the wild Also called natural environment

natural immunity

disease inherited by newborn offspring

from birth, acquired in the womb or from

the mother’s milk

natural insecticide

insecti-cide produced from plant extracts

naturalise

verb to introduce a species into an area

where it has not lived or grown before so

that it becomes established as part of the

ecosystem 쑗 Rhododendron ponticum has

become naturalised in parts of Britain.

natural resource

occurring material that can be put to use by

humans, e.g wood or oil (often plural)

natural selection

evolutionary change, by which offspring of

organisms with certain characteristics are

more able to survive and reproduce than

offspring of other organisms, thus

gradu-ally changing the composition of a

popula-tion

natural vegetation

plant communities that exist in the natural

environment without being planted or

managed by people

nature

make someone or something what they are

쑗 the nature of the task 2. all living

organ-isms and the environments in which they

live 쑗 They try to live in harmony with

nature.

nature conservation

management of the Earth’s natural resources, plants, animals and environ-ment, to ensure that they survive or are appropriately used

nature management

of managing a natural environment to encourage plant and animal life Also called habitat management

nature reserve

plants, animals and their environment are protected

nature trail

countryside with signs to draw attention to important and interesting features about plants, animals and the environment navel-ill

live-stock, especially newborn calves, kids and lambs It causes abscesses at the navel and swellings in some joints Also known as

joint-ill

navy bean

common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris, used in

particular for canning as baked beans Also called haricot bean

NAWARAD

Assembly for Wales Agriculture and Rural Affairs Department

NAWT

NAWT abbreviation National Animal Welfare Trust

NCDL

NCDL abbreviation National Canine Defence League (NOTE: Now called the

‘Dogs Trust’.) near infrared spectrophotometry

near infrared spectrophotometry

noun a method of establishing tissue composition, used in agriculture to assess the quality of meat and of grain crops

‘Pre-germination in malting barley could become easier to test using near infra red spectroscopy, according to research funded by HGCA Germination in the ear can lead to poor malting quality and problems in the brewing process.’

[Farmers Weekly]

neat

neat noun an old term meaning a cow or ox

neck collar

round the neck of a horse or cow, to hold the animal in a stall

neck rot

onions during storage The onions become soft and begin to rot from the stem down-wards

necrosis

tissue or cells in an organism

nectar 170

nectar

produced by flowers, which attracts birds

or insects which pollinate the flowers

nectarine

variety of peach (Prunus persica

necta-rina)

neigh

verb (of a horse) to make the characteristic

sound of a horse Compare bleat, grunt,

low

nematicide

substance which kills nematodes

nematode

roundworm, some of which, e.g

hook-worms, are parasites of animals while

others, e.g root knot and cyst nematodes,

live in the roots or stems of plants

nematode disease

the alimentary tract and lungs, caused by

nematodes Infection is transmitted from

one group of animals to another by means

of infective larvae in herbage

Nematodirus disease

of lambs caused by parasitic roundworms

The animals suffer diarrhoea and loss of

condition

NERC

NERC abbreviation Natural Environment

Research Council

nest

nest noun 1. a construction built by birds

and some fish for their eggs 2. a

construc-tion made by some social insects such as

ants and bees for the colony to live in쐽

verb to build a nest

nest box

which a hen lays eggs The box may be a

single unit or part of a series of boxes

net blotch

barley, with dark brown blotches affecting

the leaves

nettle

one of the genus Urtica which possesses

stinging hairs 쒁 hemp nettle, red

dead-nettle

net value added

of goods sold and services paid for inside a

country, less tax and Government subsidies

and also allowing for the depreciation of

capital assets Abbr NVA

neutraceutical

neutriceutical noun same as functional

food

neutral

being neither acid nor alkali 쑗 pH 7 is

neutral.

neutralise

verb 1. to make an acid neutral 쑗 Acid in

drainage water can be neutralised by lime-stone 2. to make a bacterial toxin harmless

by combining it with the correct amount of antitoxin 3. to counteract the effect of something

neutralising value

measure-ment of the capability of a lime material to neutralise soil acidity It is the same as the calcium oxide equivalent

‘Principally a liming agent, slag contains burnt lime, which gives it a neutralising value of more than 50 per cent In addition, its naturally-occurring minerals and trace elements have generated reports from cereal growers of yield increases in the

region of half a tonne an acre.’ [Farming News]

new blood

brought into a breed by, e.g., introducing a new male to a flock or herd

Newcastle disease

febrile contagious disease of fowls Affected birds suffer loss of appetite, diar-rhoea and respiratory problems, and mortality rates are high It is a notifiable disease

new chemicals

chemi-cals that were not listed in the European Inventory of Existing Commercial Chem-ical Substances between January 1971 and September 1981 Compare existing chemicals

New Hampshire Red

poultry with red plumage, lighter in weight than Rhode Island Red New Hampshire Reds are mainly kept as layers, producing brownish-tinted eggs

new variant CJD

new wood

current year NFE

NFE abbreviation nitrogen-free extract NFFO

NFFO abbreviation Non-Fossil Fuel Obli-gation쐽 adjective referring to technologies which are designed to ensure diversity of power supply, such as hydro power, energy crops and wind power, according to the Non-Fossil Fuel Obligation

NFU

NFU abbreviation National Farmers’ Union

NFYFC

of Young Farmers’ Clubs NIAB

NIAB abbreviation National Institute for Agricultural Botany

nicotine

tobacco It is used as an insecticide

171 nitrogen-free extract

nightshade

the family Solanaceae which, if eaten by

stock, are likely to cause sickness or death

night soil

and used for fertiliser in some parts of the

world

nip bar

mech-anisms to prevent parts of the body being

drawn into the machine

nipplewort

annual weed, Lapsana communis

nitrate

NO3 2. a chemical compound containing

the nitrate ion, e.g sodium nitrate 3. a

natural constituent of plants Beets,

cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli can

contain up to 1mg/kg

COMMENT: Nitrates are a source of

nitro-gen for plants They are used as

fertilis-ers but can poison babies if they get into

drinking water

nitrate-sensitive area

nitrate-vulnerable zone noun a region of the

country where nitrate pollution is likely

and where the use of nitrate fertilisers is

strictly controlled Abbr NSA, NVZ (NOTE:

Thirty new areas are proposed by a

government scheme which will restrict

nitrogen use to 150 kg/ha for five years An

EU directive in 1994 was aimed at

reducing nitrate pollution on up to 2 million

hectares of farmland in the UK.)

nitrification

the process by which bacteria in the soil

break down nitrogen compounds and form

nitrates which plants can absorb (NOTE: It is

part of the nitrogen cycle.)

nitrification inhibitor

product used to slow down the release of

nitrate in organic manure

nitrifier

microor-ganism that is involved in the process of

nitrification

nitrify

nitrogen or nitrogen compounds into

nitrates

nitrite

formula NO2 2. a chemical compound

containing the nitrite ion, e.g sodium

nitrite

COMMENT: Nitrites are formed by bacteria

from nitrogen as an intermediate stage in

the formation of nitrates

nitrogen

the main component of air and an essential

part of protein It is essential to biological life

COMMENT: Nitrogen is taken into the body

by digesting protein-rich foods Excess nitrogen is excreted in urine When the intake of nitrogen and the excretion rate are equal, the body is in nitrogen bal-ance or protein balbal-ance Nitrogen is sup-plied to the soil by fertilisers, organic matter, nodule bacteria on legumes, and

by nitrogen-fixing microorganisms in the soil

nitrogen compound

such as a fertiliser containing mostly nitrogen with other elements

nitrogen cycle

proc-esses by which nitrogen is converted from

a gas in the atmosphere to nitrogen-containing substances in soil and living organisms, then converted back to a gas

(NOTE: Nitrogen is absorbed into green plants in the form of nitrates, the plants are then eaten by animals and the nitrates are returned to the ecosystem through animals’ excreta or when an animal or a plant dies.)

nitrogen deficiency

nitrogen in the soil, found where organic matter is low and resulting in thin, weak growth of plants

nitrogen fertiliser

containing mainly nitrogen, e.g ammo-nium nitrate

nitrogen fixation

which nitrogen in the air is converted by bacteria in some plant roots into nitrogen compounds (NOTE: When the plants die the nitrogen is released into the soil and acts

as a fertiliser.)

‘One of the biggest misconceptions currently circulating is a grass ley for grazing and cutting on an organic farm requires a greater range of legumes than in normal practice In particular, red clover is being prescribed for use in grazing leys in the mistaken belief the nitrogen fixation for the accompanying grass crop will be

dramatically increased.’ [Farmers Guardian]

nitrogen-fixing plant

legumi-nous plant which forms an association with bacteria that convert nitrogen from the air into nitrogen compounds in the soil, e.g a pea plant

nitrogen-free extract

chemical analysis of animal feeding stuffs, the nitrogen-free extract consists mainly of

nitrogen-hungry plants 172

soluble carbohydrates (sugars) and starch

Abbr NFE

nitrogen-hungry plants

plants which need a lot of nitrogen

nitrogenous fertiliser

sulphate of ammonia which is based on

nitrogen

nitrogen oxide

when nitrogen is oxidised, e.g nitric oxide

or nitrogen dioxide Formula: NOx

NMR

NMR abbreviation National Milk Records

NNR

NNR abbreviation National Nature

Reserve

NOAH

NOAH abbreviation National Office of

Animal Health

node

node /nəυd/ noun a point on the stem of

a plant where a leaf is attached

nodule

roots of leguminous plants such as peas

which contains bacteria that can convert

nitrogen from the air into nitrogen

compounds

nomad

place to place without having a fixed range

Compare migrant

nomadic

refer-ring to nomads

nomadism

habit of some animals that move from

place to place without having a fixed range

nominated service

insemination with semen from a named

and tested male animal

non-centrifugal sugar

semi-solid sugar made by boiling the juices

obtained from crushed sugar cane India is

the principal producer

non-EU

non-flammable

material that is difficult to set on fire

non-food crops

which are grown for purposes other than

producing food, such as to provide

renew-able energy or chemicals

‘Oilseeds are an ideal vector to deliver

large industrial volumes to a range of

technical industries, and have the potential

to be one of the major non-food crops used

by industry alongside starch So says Dr

Jeremy Tomkinson of the National

Non-Food Crop Centre (NNFCC) at York.’

[Arable Farming]

Non-Fossil Fuel Obligation

British government policy to promote the use of energy from renewable sources, such as solar or wind power Abbr NFFO

non-organic

that are not produced according to guide-lines restricting the use of fertilisers and other practices

non-persistent pesticide

pesticide which does not remain toxic for long, and so does not enter the food chain non-selective herbicide

chemical herbicide which kills all vegeta-tion

non-till

agricul-ture

noose

knot which allows it to tighten, e.g in a halter or a lasso

Norfolk horn

adapted to dry heathland Black-faced and horned

Norfolk rotation

farming, using arable farming for fodder crops, and involving the temporary sowing

of grass and clover (NOTE: The Norfolk rota-tion system was introduced into England in the early 18th century and involved root crops (turnips or swedes), then cereal (barley), followed by ley (usually red clover), and ended with cereal (usually wheat) The Norfolk rotation provided a well-balanced system for building up and maintaining soil fertility, controlling weeds and pests, providing continuous employ-ment and profitability.)

Normandy

cattle from north-west France that have a white coat with red-brown patches The animals are reared for meat and for milk, from which Camembert cheese is made North Country Cheviot

large-sized breed of sheep with fine good-quality wool This variety of the Cheviot is found

in Caithness and Sutherland

North Devon

Northern Dairy Shorthorn

dairy breed of cattle, which comes from the old Teeswater cattle, with perhaps a little Ayrshire blood it is now established as a pure breed The most popular colour is light roan, but red, white and mixtures of shades are found The animals are thrifty, hardy and suitable for harsh upland condi-tions

173 nutrition

north-facing

the north 쑗 a north-facing slope

North Ronaldsay

noun a rare breed of small sheep, which

varies in colour from white through grey,

brown and black, and also combinations of

these colours The tail is short, and most of

the animals have horns

Norway rat

brown rat

noseband

leather band worn around the horse’s nose

and above the bit, used to prevent a horse

from opening its mouth too wide

notifiable disease

infectious disease of plants, animals or

people that has to be officially reported so

that steps can be taken to stop it spreading

‘The safe haven scheme aims to keep

Britain free from the damaging bacterial

disease ring rot, by creating a supply chain

where all seed has been traceably

produced from ring rot free stocks It

follows two outbreaks of the notifiable

disease in two years.’ [Farmers Weekly]

COMMENT: The following are notifiable

diseases of humans: cholera, diphtheria,

dysentery, encephalitis, food poisoning,

jaundice, malaria, measles, meningitis,

ophthalmia neonatorum, paratyphoid,

plague, poliomyelitis, relapsing fever,

scarlet fever, smallpox, tuberculosis,

typhoid, typhus, whooping cough, yellow

fever The following are some of the

noti-fiable diseases of animals: anthrax,

BSE, foot and mouth disease, Newcastle

disease, rabies, sheep pox, sheep scab,

swine fever

no-till agriculture

noun a system of cultivation in which

mechanical disturbance of the soil by

ploughing is kept to a minimum to reduce

soil erosion Also called non-till

novel crop

e.g miscanthus grown as an energy crop or

evening primrose grown for supply to the

pharmaceutical industry

nozzle

opening at the end of a pipe, for regulating

and directing a flow of fluid

NPK

NPK noun nitrogen, phosphorus and

potassium, used in different proportions as

a fertiliser

NSA

NSA abbreviation nitrate-sensitive area

NSRI

NSRI abbreviation National Soil

Resources Institute

Nubian goat

breed of goat of mixed Egyptian and Indian origin, now crossed with British goats to produce the Anglo-Nubian breed nucleus

containing DNA and RNA, and controlling the function and characteristics of the cell nurse cow

calves of others nurse crop

protection to young plants of a perennial crop which is being established Nurse crops provide shade and act as windbreaks

‘Last year two, one acre trial plots of Sitel lucerne were grown, the first sown in early April under a nurse crop of spring barley

to protect the emerging crop and help

establishment.’ [Farmers Guardian]

nursery

grown until they are large enough to be planted in their final positions

nursery bed

seed-lings are planted out from the seedbed until they are large enough to be put in perma-nent positions

nursery plot

soil used for growing plants on before they are planted out, or for sowing seed Also called seed plot

nut

nut noun 1. a hard indehiscent fruit with one seed 2. any hard edible seed contained

in a fibrous or woody shell, e.g groundnuts

3. a small cube of compressed meal, a convenient form of animal feed

nutraceutical

nutriceutical noun same as functional food

nutrient

organism needs to allow it to grow, thrive and reproduce, e.g carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium or sulphur Plants obtain their nutrients from the soil, while humans and other animals obtain them from their food, including plants nutrient leaching

nutrients from the soil caused by water flowing through it, which deprives the soil

of nutrients and may pollute water courses nutrigenomics

noun the study of the way in which genetic and environmental influences act together

on an animal, and how this information can

be used to boost productivity, health etc nutrition

the necessary food components to grow

nutritional 174

and remain healthy 쒁 soil nutrition 2.

nourishment or food which an animal eats

nutritional

referring to nutrition 쑗 the nutritional

quality of meat

nutritious

nutri-ents that are needed for growth and health

nutritive

refer-ring to a substance that provides the

neces-sary components for growth and health 쑗

plants grown in a nutritive solution 2.

referring to nutrition

nutritive value

which a food is valuable in promoting

health 쑗 The nutritive value of white flour

is lower than that of wholemeal flour.

‘While enzyme supplements are now widely used to improve the nutritive value

of feeds for non-ruminants, the response

of ruminants to direct fed fibrolytic enzymes has been both unclear and highly inconsistent, according to a presentation at

BSAS in York.’ [Farmers Guardian]

NVA

NVA abbreviation net value added NVZ

NVZ abbreviation nitrate-vulnerable zone nymph

development between the larval stage and adulthood