Soilborne

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Relating to organisms, diseases, or substances that originate in or are transmitted through the soil; describing pathogens or contaminants that exist within soil environments; pertaining to factors or conditions inherent to soil that affect plant health
2. Connected with microorganisms or infections that live in soil and can affect plants or animals; referring to agents transmitted by contact with soil; involving contaminants present in or transported by soil materials
3. Associated with diseases, pests, or chemical agents that are carried by or derived from soil; indicating transmission through soil contact; relating to soil-based environmental influences on agricultural or ecological systems

Etymology: "Soilborne" is a plain compound: "soil," the loose upper layer of earth in which plants grow, joined to "borne," the past participle of "bear" in its sense of carrying or conveying. Put together, the word describes something carried by means of the soil, most often a pathogen or pest that travels in earth rather than through the air or on seed. The word is transparent enough that its meaning follows directly from its two parts, and it is used mainly in agricultural and plant-health writing, where growers need to distinguish diseases that spread through the ground from those that spread on wind or water. Its literal sense has changed little since it was formed.

Synonyms: soil-transmitted, groundborne, earthborne