ABSTRACT
The large-scale availability of industrially produced agrochemicals has helped to revolutionize agricultural practice by making it less labor intensive and by increasing yield potentials. This chapter aims to introduce readers from varied backgrounds to some of the roles played by the plant and its environment in either facilitating or obstructing the expected responses to foliar applications of agricultural chemicals. It provides a wider perspective on the foliar application of chemicals, various solute transport pathways available inside the plant and considers the comparative merits of other routes for introducing chemicals into plants. In many cases an agrochemical is required to penetrate into the cell network in order to influence plant development. The phloem network extends from the base to the tips of higher plants and is found in association with the xylem. The effectiveness of chemical formulations painted or sprayed onto the trunks or dormant branches of trees has often been investigated.
