Antifertilizer

/ˌæntiˈfɜrtɪlaɪzər/ noun

Definition

A substance or chemical that reduces soil fertility or prevents nutrients from being available to plants.

Etymology

From anti- + fertilizer (soil nutrient). Rare agricultural term developed to describe chemicals that have the opposite effect of traditional fertilizers.

Kelly Says

Some plants actually produce their own 'antifertilizers'—they release chemicals into soil that poison their competitors, a sneaky survival strategy called allelopathy that farmers have to manage carefully.

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