A herbicide is a chemical agent formulated to kill or suppress unwanted plants, principally weeds that compete with cultivated crops for light, water and nutrients. Herbicides are classified along several axes. By selectivity they are selective, controlling target weeds while sparing the crop, or non-selective, kill…
A herbicide is a chemical agent formulated to kill or suppress unwanted plants, principally weeds that compete with cultivated crops for light, water and nutrients. Herbicides are classified along several axes. By selectivity they are selective, controlling target weeds while sparing the crop, or non-selective, killing most vegetation contacted. By timing of application they are pre-emergence, acting on germinating seeds and seedlings before they appear, or post-emergence, applied to established plants. By movement within the plant they are systemic, translocated through the vascular system to growing points and roots, or contact, damaging only the tissue they touch. They are further grouped by mode of action, the specific biochemical process disrupted, including inhibitors of photosynthesis, of amino-acid synthesis pathways, of lipid synthesis, of cell division and of pigment formation. Within integrated weed management, herbicides reduce weed competition and protect crop yield and harvest efficiency. Their use, however, raises significant agronomic and environmental concerns: repeated reliance on a single mode of action selects for herbicide-resistant weed populations, while off-target movement, persistence in soil and water, and effects on non-target organisms necessitate careful stewardship, rotation of chemistries, and integration with cultural, mechanical and biological control measures.
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