Dwarfing

Dwarfing is a process in which a breed of animals or cultivar of plants is changed to become significantly smaller than standard members of their species.

The effect can be induced through human intervention or non-human processes, and can include genetic, nutritional or hormonal means.

Shortened stature can result from growth hormone deficiency, starvation, portal systemic shunts, renal disease, hypothyroidism, diabetes mellitus and other conditions.

In some husbandry conditions, humans created dwarf breeds, or allowed them to develop, without specifically selecting for smaller animals.

Humans have encouraged the deliberate development of dwarf breeds of many domestic animals, including horses, cattle, dogs, and chickens.

Dwarfing fruit trees acts through a reduction in the nutrients which travel from the roots through the trunk to the leaves and buds.

When frost severely damages a tree, the more productive branch and bud cultivar may be killed off, leaving the root to sprout new stalks.