Soil-applied pesticides are applied to the soil; some are taken up by roots and translocated inside the plant. Which statement best describes this application?

• A. They are applied to leaves
• B. They are applied to the soil; some are taken up by roots and translocated inside the plant.
• C. They are only used as gas
• D. They are never absorbed by the plant

Answer: (B)

The idea being tested is how soil-applied pesticides move once they’re put into the soil. When a pesticide is applied to the soil, it sits near the roots. Some of these chemicals are soluble enough to be taken up by the root hairs with the plant’s water uptake. Once inside the plant, they can move through the vascular system—typically upward through the xylem with the transpiration stream—and reach shoots, leaves, and other tissues. This root uptake and internal movement is what makes soil-applied products useful for systemic control, even if the pest isn’t directly contacted by a spray.

This contrasts with applying pesticides to leaves, which targets surface/contact action rather than root uptake and internal movement. It also isn’t accurate to view soil-applied products as only gases, since many are liquids or granules designed to remain in the soil or be absorbed by roots. And they aren’t universally never absorbed; the whole point of many soil-applied products is that some are absorbed and translocated within the plant.