Which term refers to chemicals that are taken into the blood or sap and kill pests without harming the host?

Which term refers to chemicals that are taken into the blood or sap and kill pests without harming the host?

• A. Systemics
• B. Translocated Herbicides
• C. Fumigants
• D. Anticoagulants

Answer: (A)

Systemics are chemicals designed to be absorbed by the treated host and then moved through its internal fluids, so pests that feed on those tissues ingest the toxicant. In plants this means the compound is taken up by roots or leaves and travels through the sap to all tissues, reaching sap-feeding pests even if you didn’t spray every surface. The host stays unharmed because the chemical is selectively toxic to the pests or the plant tolerates it, whereas pests obtain their lethal dose by ingesting the treated material. This distinguishes systemics from fumigants, which kill pests as gases in the environment, and from anticoagulants, which disrupt blood clotting in vertebrate pests. Translocated herbicides are a plant-specific example of systemic movement, but the general term describing chemicals taken into blood or sap and killing pests without harming the host is systemic.

Systemics are chemicals designed to be absorbed by the treated host and then moved through its internal fluids, so pests that feed on those tissues ingest the toxicant. In plants this means the compound is taken up by roots or leaves and travels through the sap to all tissues, reaching sap-feeding pests even if you didn’t spray every surface. The host stays unharmed because the chemical is selectively toxic to the pests or the plant tolerates it, whereas pests obtain their lethal dose by ingesting the treated material. This distinguishes systemics from fumigants, which kill pests as gases in the environment, and from anticoagulants, which disrupt blood clotting in vertebrate pests. Translocated herbicides are a plant-specific example of systemic movement, but the general term describing chemicals taken into blood or sap and killing pests without harming the host is systemic.