What does a contact herbicide do?

A contact herbicide specifically targets and affects only the parts of the plant that it comes into direct contact with. When applied, it works by damaging the plant tissue it touches, which can lead to wilting or death of those portions. This means that if a contact herbicide is applied to only the leaves or stems, those areas will be harmed or destroyed, but the roots and uncontacted parts of the plant may remain unharmed and can potentially regenerate.

In contrast, a systemic herbicide would be absorbed by the plant and move throughout its system, affecting areas that the herbicide did not physically touch. Therefore, the key characteristic of a contact herbicide is its limited action to only the parts of the plant that are directly exposed to the chemical.