What does phytotoxicity mean?
Phytotoxicity means toxicity to plants: the capacity of a chemical, biological agent, or other substance to damage plant tissue or interfere with plant growth. The term is especially important in agriculture, environmental science, toxicology, and the testing of herbicides and other agrochemicals. It can refer either to a harmful effect in general or to the particular damage caused in plants. For example, researchers may test a compound for phytotoxicity by exposing seedlings or crop plants to it and observing reduced growth, discoloration, lesions, or death. Although the word is specialized, it communicates more precisely than toxicity because its object of harm is explicitly the plant world. Its usefulness lies in making the biological target clear in scientific discussions of poisons, chemicals, contamination, and plant protection.
nounThe property of being poisonous or damaging to plants, or the state or effect of toxic injury to plant tissue. The term is used in biology, agriculture, environmental science, and herbicide research.
- The property of being toxic to plants or causing damage to plant tissue.
- The toxic effect or injury experienced by a plant as a result of exposure to a substance.
"The study measured phytotoxicity in several plant species exposed to the contaminated soil."
"The herbicide was withdrawn after tests revealed severe phytotoxicity in several crops."
"Researchers evaluated the phytotoxicity of the fungal extract against seedlings in a controlled experiment."
The plural is rare; the uncountable form is generally preferred when referring to the property of causing toxicity to plants.
"The researchers compared the phytotoxicities of several compounds under similar test conditions."
Phytotoxicity is the science of asking a blunt question: what happens when a substance meets a plant?
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does phytotoxicity come from?
Phytotoxicity combines the combining form phyto-, meaning plant, with toxicity, a form derived from toxic, ultimately from the Greek toxikon, meaning poison. The compound has been used in scientific contexts since the development of modern agricultural and biological toxicology. Its close scientific relatives include phytotoxic, describing something harmful to plants, and phytotoxin, a poison that acts on or injures plants.
Related word forms
How phytotoxicity is actually used
This is a specialist scientific term. It is usually used for a substance's capacity to injure plants or for the resulting damage, and is less common in general speech than the broader term toxicity.
Easily confused with phytotoxicity
Toxicity is poison-related harm in general, whereas phytotoxicity specifically refers to toxic effects on plants.