Agrochemical
An agrochemical is a chemical product used in agriculture to protect crops, supply nutrients, or regulate plant growth.
Pesticide: A substance used to prevent, destroy, repel, or control pests. Pesticides are agrochemicals aimed at organisms that damage crops or stored products.
Mode of action: The specific biological process through which a substance produces an effect. An agrochemical’s mode of action determines which organisms or plant processes it affects.
Integrated pest management: An approach that combines biological, cultural, physical, and chemical methods to manage pests. It places pesticide use within a broader, monitored crop-protection strategy.
Pesticide residue: A remaining amount of pesticide or its breakdown products on or in a surface, organism, or commodity. Residues can remain on harvested crops or move through the environment.
Biological control: The use of living organisms or their products to suppress pests. It controls pests through biological agents rather than conventional chemical pesticides.
Plant growth regulator: A substance that alters plant growth or development at low concentrations. These products adjust processes such as rooting, flowering, fruit set, or ripening.
Systemic pesticide: A pesticide absorbed and transported within a plant or animal. Systemic products can reach pests feeding on treated plant tissues.
Seed treatment: The application of protective or growth-promoting substances to seeds before planting. Treating seed delivers agrochemicals to crops at establishment, often with limited application area.
Environmental fate: The processes governing a substance’s movement, persistence, and transformation in the environment. It describes where agrochemicals go after application and how long they remain.
Organic farming: A farming system governed by standards that restrict many synthetic inputs and emphasize ecological processes. Its rules distinguish permitted agricultural inputs from many synthetic agrochemicals.