The mass of six-sided, waxen cells formed by bees and used by them to hold their honey and their eggs. Also referred to as bee comb. (Adapted from https://acir.aphis.usda.gov/s/acir-glossary)
A direct method of measuring the rumen degradation of feeds consists of placing a small amount of foodstuff in an undegradable porous bag, suspending the bag in the rumen and measuring the disappearance of feed components after incubation. (P. Nozière and B. Michalet-Doreau. 2000. Département Elevage et Nutrition des Animaux, Unité de Recherches sur les Herbivores, INRA Theix, France In Sacco Methods https://www.cabidigitallibrary.org/doi/pdf/10.5555/20001415326)
The economic framing of the various stocks in which each type of capital embodies future streams of benefits that contribute to human well-being (see also “human capital”, “natural capital”, “working capital”, “social capital” and "stock"). (Adapted from TEEB. 2018. TEEB for Agriculture & Food: Scientific and Economic Foundations Report. Geneva, Switzerland, UN Environment. https://teebweb.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Foundations_Report_Final_October.pdf)
A form of selective breeding in which all individuals in a cohort are pooled and individuals selected as future broodstock based on the phenotypic value for the target trait. (FAO. 2025. Glossary for aquatic genetic resources for food and agriculture. CGRFA-20/25/6.2/Inf.1. https://openknowledge.fao.org/handle/20.500.14283/cd4254en)
A selective breeding programme for quantitative phenotypes where selection is based on individual merit. An individual whose phenotypic value is equal to or exceeds the cut-off value is saved, while those whose phenotypic value falls below the cut-off value are culled. Family relationships are ignored. (Tave, D. (1995) Selective breeding programmes for medium-sized fish farms. FAO Fisheries Technical Paper (352): 122 p. in: FAO. 2008. Glossary of aquaculture. https://openknowledge.fao.org/handle/20.500.14283/a1555m)
Maximum residue limits (MRLs) for pesticide residues and residues of veterinary drugs are the maximum concentrations of residues to be permitted in or on a food by national or regional legislation. (FAO and WHO. 2009. Principles and Methods for the Risk Assessment of Chemicals in Food. Chapter 8 – Maximum Residue Limits for Pesticides and Veterinary Drugs. https://www.inchem.org/documents/ehc/ehc/ehc240_chapter8.pdf)
Microsatellites: segments of DNA characterized by a variable number of copies (typically 5 to 50) of sequence motifs of around two to five bases (referred to as a repeat unit). At any one locus (site in the genome), there are usually several different “alleles” in a population, each allele identifiable by the number of repeat units detected via polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Many microsatellites have a large degree of polymorphism. (FAO. 2015. The Second Report on the State of the World’s Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, edited by B.D. Scherf & D. Pilling. FAO Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture Assessments. Rome (available at http://www.fao.org/3/a-i4787e/index.html).)
Note
In many species, they were the first standard marker technology used to characterize diversity. However, due to their comparatively infrequent presence across the genome, inconsistent reproducibility across laboratories and genotyping platforms, and higher genotyping cost per locus, microsatellites are being replaced by other technologies.
Tandem arrays of moderately repetitive, short (10-60 bases) DNA sequences found dispersed throughout the genome, at the ends of chromosomes (telomeres), and clustered near telomeres. Their degree of repetition is two to several hundred at each locus. Loci number in the thousands but each locus shows a distinctive repeat unit. (https://lod.nal.usda.gov/nalt/34222)
The Arctic region, or the Arctic, is a geographic region spreading around the North Pole. There is no single correct definition of the region as the southern boundary varies. The Arctic Circle (66 ° 33'N) delimits the Arctic in terms of solar radiation. (https://www.arcticcentre.org/EN/arcticregion)
A hoof, plural hooves or hoofs, is the tip of a toe of an ungulate mammal, strengthened by a thick and horny keratin covering. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoof)
The use of land resources, including soils, water, animals and plants, for the production of goods to meet changing human needs, while simultaneously ensuring the long-term productive potential of these resources and the maintenance of their environmental functions. (UNCED, 1992 cited at https://www.fao.org/land-water/land/sustainable-land-management/en/)
The Diagnosis and Recommendation Integrated System-DRIS uses a holistic analysis based on interrelation between nutrients, compares crop mineral element proportions with optimal values known as DRIS norms and identifies imbalances, deficiencies, and/or excesses in plant nutrients, ranking them in order of importance. (Villamil Carvajal, J. E., Pineda Álvarez, E. O., & Gutiérrez, M. C. Sistema Integrado de Diagnóstico y Recomendación, su aplicación y utilidad en la agricultura. Una Revisión. Cien. Agri., 18(3): 29-46. https://doi.org/10.19053/01228420.v18.n3.2021.12933
DOI: https://doi.org/10.19053/01228420.v18.n3.2021.12933)