agrochemical

広島・瀬戸田町産レモンの魅力が紹介されている記事から表現を取り上げます。

Hiroshima Pref. lemons offer fresh, homegrown tastes

ONOMICHI, Hiroshima — Lemons are known for their refreshing aroma and sour taste. Lemons grown outdoors are at their best from autumn to spring. About 60 percent of the lemons harvested in Japan are from Hiroshima Prefecture. Within the prefecture, a high volume is produced in the Setodacho district in the city of Onomichi.

中略

JA Mihara has branded lemons with reduced amounts of agrochemicals as “Setoda Eco Lemons,” and about 200 farming families, including Harada, work on cultivating them. A single bite was enough for one to overflow with juice. Although sour, it had subtler flavors than I expected. Hironori Doi, the chief of the Setoda citrus fruits sales section at JA Mihara told me, “The more it turns yellow and ripens, the juicier it becomes.” The lemons sell for about \100 to \200 each.

以下省略

http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0003462009

今回取り上げる表現は “agrochemical” / æɡrəʊˈkɛmɪkəl / です。

まず, 表現中の “chemical” からは, 「化学物質」が想起されます。そこで, 『リーダーズ英和中辞典』(研究社)で調べると, 「農薬(殺虫剤・除草剤・化学肥料など)」とありました。

Merriam-Webster.comには “any chemical used in agricultural production, as commercial fertilizer” と定義されています。

今回は, 「農業」を指す “agriculture” の接頭辞 “agri-” だけでなく, “agro-” も同様に「畑の, 農作の」の意を表すことがわかりました。(『リーダーズ英和中辞典』)(Cayu)