- Defoliant
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This article is about the chemicals used to remove leaves. For animals that eat leaves, see Folivore.
A defoliant is any chemical sprayed or dusted on plants to cause its leaves to fall off. A classic example of a highly toxic defoliant is Agent Orange, which the United States armed forces used abundantly to defoliate regions of Vietnam during the Vietnam War from 1961 to 1970.
Defoliants differ from herbicides in that the former seeks mainly to strip leaves from plants, and the latter is used to destroy or inhibit the growth of plants.
Defoliants are used in cotton production to aid harvesting.[1]
See also
- Chemical defoliation of Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War
- Index of environmental articles
References
- ^ Gwathmey, C.O.; Craig Jr., C.C. (2007). "Defoliants for cotton". In David Pimentel. Encyclopedia of Pest Management. 2. CRC Press. p. 135. ISBN 1420053612. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=DxrMm9lMFUAC&pg=PA135.
External links
- Defoliants and Desiccants by Frederick M Fishel, Pesticide Information Office, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida
Categories:- Defoliants
- Horticulture stubs
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