More About the Turfgrass Thesaurus
What can the Thesaurus do? Uses include:
- Providing a simple, reliable search structure using a predictable, easily-identified terminology. Example: "K=OVERSEEDING AND K=GOLF FAIRWAYS" to locate a concise set of articles on this topic (searching in Power Search).
- Act as an online dictionary/product guide/thesaurus, from the past up to the present or from the present into the past. Example: You have a research report which evaluates an experimental designation of a not-at-that-time released chemical. What is its actual substance (active ingredient) and trade names as released?
- Strengthen searches by adding synonyms, abbreviations, or variant forms of terms you know you want to use (in Power Search).
A Thesaurus Record Overview and Introduction
Unlike in the TGIF database, each listing in the Turfgrass Thesaurus is for a single keyword. As shown in the examples which follow, there are two classes of keywords: "valid" and "invalid." Valid keywords are terms which TIC has decided to use for indexing purposes to concisely describe a particular concept, thing, action, place, role, or grouping. Invalid keywords are the terms we have decided were better represented, for one reason or another, by another term. Sometimes, these decisions follow established rules, at other times they are judgment calls. In general, the below criteria are used:
- Scientific (binomial) nomenclature is used, rather that "common names." Example: Agrostis stolonifera is the valid keyword, "creeping bentgrass" is invalid. Note: For searching purposes, case does not matter (i.e. ALL CAPS IS OK).
- American usage and spelling is used, rather than any other variants. Example: "Fertilizers" is valid; "Fertilisers" is invalid
- Current and/or more generally recognized taxonomic/etiologic classifications are used in preference to superseded or controversial forms. Example: "Take-all patch" is valid; "Ophiobolus patch" is invalid.
In all of these situations, the Turfgrass Thesaurus will tell you which term to use (as long as we've accounted for it already.) Please note that the Turfgrass Thesaurus is a continuously evolving and developing outline/structure of turf terminology. It is not a static construct, and will continue to grow and change as TGIF grows and turf research continues.
Remember also that these "correct" forms of nomenclature apply only to the Keyword field in TGIF (searched as K="xxx"). If you search "K=FERTILISERS" in TGIF you will get 0 hits; but this doesn't influence searching any other field. You therefore could search "Fertilsers" in TGIF and find hits, based on abstract or title occurrences. Clearly, it is very, very likely that such materials would be from British or other Commonwealth sources. In the Basic Search interface, "invalid" forms of terms which you might type in will automatically be converted to the "valid" form.
Record Structure
As will be shown in the examples below, certain entries normally have opposite or reciprocal entries, as listed below:
Broader Term <---> Narrower Term
Use <---> Used for
Cultivar <---> Cultivar of
Trade Name <---> Substance
Related Term <---> Related Term
Essentially the Thesaurus is an outline structure with cross-references. "Broader Terms" are "higher" in the outline; "Narrower Terms" are "lower". "Cultivar of", "Substance", and "Use" statements tell you that the term is invalid as a keyword and tell you what term is valid to search in the keyword field in Power Search (or, perhaps, to add to your search statement) to find these terms in other fields, such as the title or abstract.
Several sample Turfgrass Thesaurus records are shown below, with explanatory comments following:
Example - Valid Keywords:
Record: 10944
Term (a) - Sphenophorus parvulus (Gyllenhal)
Broader Term (b) - Rhynchophorinae
Broader Term (b) - Root-eating insects
Broader Term (b) - Sphenophorus
Related Term (d) - Insect Pests
Related Term (d) - Sphenophorus inaequalis
Related Term (d) - Sphenophorus minimus
Used for Term (f) - Bluegrass billbug
Record: 60
Term (a) – Lolium perenne (L.)
Broader Term (b) – Lolium
Broader Term (b) – Short-lived perennial turfgrasses
Broader Term (b) – Wintergrasses
Narrower Term (c) – Lolium perenne subsp. stoloniferum
Related Term (d) – Bunch-type grasses
Related Term (d) – Creeping grasses
Related Term (d) – Lolium multiflorum
Related Term (d) – Lolium x hybridum
Related Term (d) – Neotyphodium lolii
Related Term (d) – Ryegrass mosaic virus
Related Term (d) – Ryegrass silage
Related Term (d) – Ryegrass staggers
Used for Term (f) – Common ryegrass
Used for Term (f) – Deutsche Weidelgras
Used for Term (f) – English ryegrass
Used for Term (f) – Fine ray-grass
Used for Term (f) – Lolium perenne tenue
Used for Term (f) – Perennial rye
Used for Term (f) – Perennial ryegrass
Used for Term (f) – Ray-grass
Used for Term (f) – Ray-grass commun
Cultivar (h) – Academy
Cultivar (h) – Acclaim
Cultivar (h) – All*Star
(Etc.)
Record: 2025
Term (a) – Glyphosate
Broader Term (b) – Non-selective herbicides
Related Term (d) – 2, 4-D + Glyphosate
Related Term (d) – Clopyralid + Glyphosate
Related Term (d) – Dicamba + Glyphosate
Related Term (d) – Diquat dibromide + Glyphosate
Related Term (d) – EPSP synthase
Related Term (d) – Florasulam + Glyphosate
Related Term (d) – Glyphosate + Alachlor
Related Term (d) – Glyphosate + Diflufenican
Related Term (d) – Isopropylamine
Related Term (d) – Monochloroacetic acid
Used for Term (f) – N-(phosphonomethyl) glycine
Trade Name (k) – Accord
Trade Name (k) – Avail
Trade Name (k) – Durango
Trade Name (k) – Glystar
Trade Name (k) – Roundup
(Etc.)
Record: 9478
Term (a) – Football fields
Broader Term (b) – Athletic fields
Narrower Term (c) – Goal posts
Related Term (d) – Baseball fields
Related Term (d) – Football
Related Term (d) – Lawn hockey
Related Term (d) – Sand-filled basin
Related Term (d) – Soccer fields
Related Term (d) – Stadia
Related Term (d) – Super Bowl
Used for Term (f) – American football fields
Used for Term (f) – Gridirons
Used for Term (f) – North American football fields
Scope Notes (e) - For North American Football fields only: for Association football USE Soccer fields.
Example - Invalid Keywords:
Record: 7694
Term (a) - Bluegrass billbug
Use (g) - Sphenophorus parvulus
Record: 8757
Term (a) - Roundup
Substance (j) - Glyphosate
Scope Notes (e) - The trade name for an herbicide with the active ingredient Glyphosate.
Record: 9912
Term (a) – Midnight
Exp. Designation (l) – 1528T
Exp. Designation (l) – 1528T-6-P1528T
Cultivar of (i) – Poa pratensis
Record: 9892
Term (a) – Ranger
Exp. Designation (l) – 221t
Exp. Designation (l) – HE 129
Exp. Designation (l) – Syn R
Use OR (m) – Glyphosate
Use OR (m) – Lolium perenne
Scope Notes (e) – A trade name for an herbicide with the active ingredient Glyphosate OR a cultivar of Perennial ryegrass.
Record: 4580
Term (a) – Varietal description
Use AND (n) – Cultivar profile
Use AND (n) – Varietal registration
COMMENT (a) - The "Term" which is the heading for that record (valid or invalid). Note that the parenthetical taxonomic name in the display (if present) is not a part of the term, though present.
COMMENT (b) - A "Broader Term" is a more general term, relatively speaking (and also a valid keyword with a record of its own).
COMMENT (c) - A "Narrower Term" is a more specific term, relatively speaking (and also a valid keyword with a record of its own).
COMMENT (d) - A "Related Term" is of parallel interest in some way (and also a valid keyword with a record of its own).
COMMENT (e) - A "Scope Note" usually clarifies a concept to explain how it is used as a keyword. It may contain elements of a definition, or direct a user elsewhere.
COMMENT (f) - A "Used for Term" identifies invalid keywords which, for indexing purposes, "mean the same thing" as the "term". the "Used for Term" has a record of its own, but all it does is refer you to the "valid" keyword (See also (g) below).
COMMENT (g) - "Use" identifies the "valid" keyword for an "invalid" one. It tells you what term to use to search and also look-up for further ideas (See also (f) above).
COMMENT (h) - "Cultivar" lists the release names of known cultivars of a grass species (with an emphasis on turf) (See also (i) below).
COMMENT (i) - "Cultivar of" identifies what species a cultivar "Term" is (See also (h) above).
COMMENT (j) - "Substance" identifies the active ingredient(s) in a released trade name pesticide or other agent (See also (k) below).
COMMENT (k) - "Trade Name" specifies known released trade names of substances (See also (j) above).
COMMENT (l) - "Exp.Designation" identifies known experimental designations for cultivars or trade names.
COMMENT (m) - "Use OR" identifies multiple valid keywords which might be meant by a single invalid term. The Scope Notes should provide sufficient information to choose between the valid keywords presented.
COMMENT (n) - "Use AND" identifies multiple valid keywords which, when used together, capture the meaning of a single invalid term.