Systemic (translocated) herbicides are best described as substances that move within the plant to affect distant tissues.

• A. Remain only on the leaf surface
• B. Move within the plant to affect distant tissues
• C. Immediately degrade after application
• D. Only act on the soil

Answer: (B)

Systemic (translocated) herbicides are absorbed by the plant and then moved through its vascular system to reach tissues that were not directly contacted. After uptake, they travel via the xylem and/or phloem, carrying the active chemical to growing points, roots, and other distant tissues. This allows the herbicide to kill the entire plant, including underground parts, even if only a portion of the foliage was treated. This is in contrast to non-systemic (contact) herbicides, which stay on the surface and kill only the tissue they touch, or to soil-only herbicides that act in the soil rather than moving within the plant.