Glossary and Conversion Factors
Acknowledgment:
This guide is adapted from the Coffee Industry Corporation (CIC) PNG Coffee Handbook 2016. We have simplified the content for easier understanding by farmers.
GLOSSARY
- Anion – An ion with a negative charge (e.g., Cl⁻, SO₄²⁻).
- Apical dominance – Influence of the terminal bud in suppressing growth of lateral buds.
- Auger (boring) – Instrument for boring into soil.
- Biuret (damage) – Compound formed during urea manufacture, toxic to plants, especially on foliage.
- Breather (lung branch) – See lung branch.
- Butterfly stage – Seedling stage when cotyledons have expanded prior to first true leaves.
- Cambium – Cellular tissue from which xylem and phloem grow.
- Capping – Removal of the terminal portion of an orthotropic shoot.
- Cation – An ion with a positive charge (e.g., Mg²⁺, Na⁺).
- CEC (Cation Exchange Capacity) – Total exchangeable cations soil can adsorb; indicates retention against leaching.
- Chlorosis – Yellowing of plant tissue.
- Constrict – To narrow or contract.
- Contact pesticide – Pesticide acting upon direct contact with the pest.
- Crinkle leaf – Leaf distortion due to environmental or nutrient issues.
- Cull – To select and remove surplus or inferior individuals.
- Culvert – Channel carrying water across/under a road.
- Defoliate – Remove leaves from a tree.
- Diurnal – Occurring daily.
- ECEC (Effective Cation Exchange Capacity) – Sum of exchangeable cations plus exchangeable acidity (Ca²⁺ + Mg²⁺ + Na⁺ + K⁺ + H⁺ + Al³⁺).
- Exudates – Materials that ooze from plant cells.
- Foliar feed – Liquid fertiliser applied to leaves via sprayer.
- Friable – Easily crumbled.
- Gley soil – Poorly drained soil showing grey colours and mottles due to iron reduction.
- Halo – Circle around a body.
- Hull – Remove the outer skin (parchment) of a fruit.
- Hypocotyl – Part of seedling between cotyledons and radicle; elongates to bring cotyledons above soil.
- Infills – Seedlings used to replace dead ones.
- Inoculum – Pathogen causing disease (e.g., fungal spores).
- Ironpan – Indurated soil horizon cemented by iron oxide.
- Kink – Short backward twist in a root that may cause breakage.
- Lapse rate – Rate of temperature decrease with altitude.
- Lung (branch) – Main stem with only one primary branch; other heads removed during stumping.
- Matrix – Major soil colour excluding mottles.
- me % (Milliequivalent percent) – Concentration of cations in soil.
- Mottle (soil) – Spot of contrasting colour indicating alternating aeration zones.
- MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) – Formal agreement.
- Mycelium – Mass of fungal hyphae.
- Necrotic – Dead tissue.
- Orthotropic – Growing vertically (stems) or downwards (roots).
- Parchment – Dried coffee retaining outer seed coat.
- Pathogen – Disease-causing agent.
- Parthenogenic – Reproduction without fertilization.
- Peat – Unconsolidated organic soil material from excessive moisture accumulation.
- Pedestal (soil) – Column of soil left by surrounding erosion.
- Petiole – Leaf stalk.
- Phloem – Soft plant vascular tissue transporting photosynthates to fruits.
- Plagiotropic – Growing horizontally or obliquely (e.g., lateral roots or branches).
- P-retention – Conversion of phosphate ions into insoluble forms.
- Proprietary – Article or chemical restricted by patent.
- Pustule – Eruptive spot containing fungal spores.
- Rejuvenate (coffee) – Remove old bearing heads to produce new suckers.
- Rhizomorphs – Branched fungal threads forming cord-like networks.
- Rill – Small intermittent water course with steep sides.
- Shothole – Localised leaf lesion causing dead tissue to fall.
- Soil fertility – Soil’s nutrient status and availability for plant growth.
- Soldier stage – Seedling stage when cotyledons, still in seed coat, emerge above ground.
- Surrogate – Substitute.
- Synergistic – Combined effect exceeding sum of individual effects.
- Systemic pesticide – Pesticide absorbed and transported throughout plant.
- Tilth – Depth and quality of soil affected by cultivation.
- Turgid – Swollen or inflated.
- Uredospores – Reproductive spores of rust fungi.
- Xylem – Hard plant vascular tissue transporting water and minerals from roots to leaves.
CONVERSION FACTORS
Length
- Inches → Centimetres: × 2.54
- Feet → Metres: × 0.3048
- Yards → Metres: × 0.9144
- Miles → Kilometres: × 1.609
Volume (Cubic Measure)
- Cubic inches → Cubic centimetres: × 16.39
- Cubic feet → Cubic metres: × 0.02832
- Cubic yards → Cubic metres: × 0.7646
Volume (Liquid Measure)
- Fluid ounces → Millilitres: × 28.35
- Pints → Litres: × 0.5683
- Imperial gallons → Litres: × 4.5460
- U.S. gallons → Litres: × 3.7854
Mass
- Ounces → Grams: × 28.35
- Pounds → Kilograms: × 0.4536
- Hundredweights → Kilograms: × 50.8020
- Tons → Tonnes: × 1.0160
Area
- Square inches → Square centimetres: × 6.4516
- Square feet → Square metres: × 0.0920
- Acres → Hectares: × 0.4047
Pressure
- Pounds/square inch → Kg/cm²: × 0.0703
- Pounds/square inch → Bars: × 0.0689
- Pounds/square inch → Atmosphere: × 0.068
- Pounds/square inch → Kilopascals: × 6.89
Velocity
- Feet/second → Metres/second: × 0.305
- Feet/minute → Metres/second: × 0.00508
- Miles/hour → Kilometres/hour: × 1.609
Quantities per Area
- Pounds/acre → Kg/ha: × 1.12
- Ounces/sq yard → Hundredweights/acre: × 2.7
- Imperial gallons/acre → Litres/hectare: × 11.233
- Fluid ounces/imperial gallon → mL/L: × 6.25
- Fluid ounces/acre → mL/ha: × 70.05
- Ounces/acre → Grams/ha: × 70.05
- Hundredweights/acre → Kg/ha: × 125.54
- Pounds/imperial gallon → Kg/L: × 0.998
Dilutions
- Pints/100 imperial gallons → mL/100 L: × 125.0
- Ounces/imperial gallon → g/L: × 6.24
Plant Nutrients (Oxide → Elemental)
- P₂O₅ → P: × 0.437
- K₂O → K: × 0.830
- CaO → Ca: × 0.715
- MgO → Mg: × 0.602
Slope
- 1:1 → 100% → 45°
- 1:2 → 50% → 27°
- 1:3 → 33% → 18°
- 1:4 → 25% → 14°
- 1:5 → 20% → 11°
- 1:6 → 17% → 10°
- 1:7 → 14.5% → 8°
- 1:8 → 12.5% → 7°
- 1:10 → 10% → 5.5°