fungicide

Any chemical used to control fungi which are harmful to plants, animals, or foodstuffs. Fungicides are particularly important in controlling rusts in cereals, blight in potatoes, and mildew in fruit. They are also used to control fungi that damage the quality of food in storage, or fungi that grow on animals or humans. The first effective fungicide was ‘Bordeaux mixture’, developed in 1882 and made of slaked lime and copper sulphate. In organic farming systems, the use of rotation reduces the risk of fungal spread, as does biodiversity among crop species and the use of sulphur and copper sulphate-based compounds. Commonly used fungicides include mercury- and sulphur-containing compounds.

A Fungicide is one of three main methods of pest control- chemical control of fungi in this case.

Fungicides can either be contact or systemic.

It is used in agriculture to avoid fungus growth because this can harm profits, Corn is often sprayed with fungicides and some fungicides are genitically modified to make sure that they get to work straight away by damaging all of the fungal cells.

In contexts other than agriculture, the term antifungal is often used for similar compounds.

Fungicides can also indirectly be harmful to human health as the cultivated crop is consumed and it can cause irritation as well as many symptoms such as headaches, diarrehea, damaged organs as well as severe disorders and maladies related to the nervous system.