defoliant
Chemical leaf remover
A defoliant is a chemical agent that causes plants to shed their leaves.
Defoliants are used in agriculture to facilitate harvesting and in warfare to destroy enemy cover.
Agent Orange, used extensively during the Vietnam War, remains the most notorious example: The military sprayed defoliants over vast stretches of jungle.
Wartime defoliant chemical
- VietnamSoutheast Asian coastal nation
- ecocideDeliberate devastation of nature
- chemical warfareCombat using toxic substances
- scorched earthDestroy all useful resources
jungle warfare · counterinsurgency · collateral damage · environmental damage · war crimes · napalm · guerrilla warfare · birth defects
Wartime defoliant chemical
- glyphosateBroad-spectrum systemic herbicide
- 2,4-DSynthetic auxin herbicide
- paraquatToxic methyl viologen herbicide
Shedding of foliage
- desiccationComplete removal of moisture
- abscissionPlant part separation
- browningFood darkening when cooked
- wiltingLosing turgor and drooping
deforestation · habitat destruction · erosion · ecosystem damage · bioaccumulation · persistence
Plant fiber for textiles
- preharvestBefore crop collection
- leaf dropShedding of foliage
- potato vinesSprawling stems of tubers
- sunflowerTall daisy-family plant
sugarcane · soybean · abscission · senescence
Airborne pest
- crop dustingAircraft spraying farmland
- dispersalSpreading in many directions
- nozzleFlow-directing pipe fitting
- adjuvantImmunity-boosting additive
Agent Orange
Wartime defoliant chemical
- VietnamSoutheast Asian coastal nation
- ecocideDeliberate devastation of nature
- chemical warfareCombat using toxic substances
scorched earth · jungle warfare · counterinsurgency · collateral damage · environmental damage · war crimes · napalm · guerrilla warfare · birth defects
Agent Orange
Wartime defoliant chemical
- glyphosateBroad-spectrum systemic herbicide
- 2,4-DSynthetic auxin herbicide
- paraquatToxic methyl viologen herbicide
leaf drop
Shedding of foliage
- desiccationComplete removal of moisture
- abscissionPlant part separation
- browningFood darkening when cooked
wilting · deforestation · habitat destruction · erosion · ecosystem damage · bioaccumulation · persistence
cotton
Plant fiber for textiles
- preharvestBefore crop collection
- leaf dropShedding of foliage
- potato vinesSprawling stems of tubers
sunflower · sugarcane · soybean · abscission · senescence
aerial spraying
Airborne pest
- crop dustingAircraft spraying farmland
- dispersalSpreading in many directions
- nozzleFlow-directing pipe fitting
adjuvant · surfactant · concentration · dilution · coverage
- Vietnam WarVietnam War, Vietnam, Tet Offensive, My Lai Massacre, Viet Cong
- Agrochemicalsfertilizer, pesticides, pesticide, herbicides, herbicide
- Pesticidespesticides, DDT, permethrin, pyrethrin, organophosphate
- pest controlinsecticide, rat trap, pesticide, mousetrap, exterminator
- cottoncotton, boll, cotton bale, cotton fiber, cotton belt
- Biocidesbiocide, biocidal, germicide, germicidal, disinfectant
defoliantfertilizer
Soil nutrient supplement
plant food · compost · mulch · rooting hormone · plant nutrient
defoliate, defoliation, defoliated, defoliator, defoliants, defoliating, defoliates