noun
dwarfing; stunting
Technical term in botany and agriculture for the process or state of plants becoming dwarfed or stunted, often due to genetic, environmental, or pathogenic factors.
この品種は矮化が進んでいて、草丈が低い。
This variety has undergone dwarfing, so its plant height is low.
ウイルス感染による矮化が収量に影響を与えた。
Stunting caused by virus infection affected the yield.
矮小 is an adjective meaning 'diminutive' or 'undersized', describing smallness in general, while 矮化 specifically refers to the process or result of becoming dwarfed, especially in plants.
Compound of 矮 (わい, 'dwarf') and 化 (か, '-ization, change'). The kanji 矮 is not in the jōyō list, so the word is often written with the mixed form わい化.