Definition

Noun: 1. A specific phase of crown gall disease: "Hairy root" refers to a distinct stage in the development of crown gall, a plant disease caused by Agrobacterium bacteria. This phase is characterized by the abnormal, dense proliferation of fine, fibrous, root-like structures. It is particularly noted in certain host plants like apple trees.

Usage

• Noun:
  • The apple orchard showed signs of infection, with several trees developing hairy root.
  • Hairy root is a symptom that indicates the plant is in a specific phase of the crown gall disease cycle.

Advanced Usage

• In plant pathology, hairy root can also refer more broadly to a similar condition induced by a different bacterium, , which genetically transforms the plant to produce these characteristic roots. This engineered hairy root system is used in biotechnology for producing plant compounds.
  • Scientists cultivated the medicinal plant's hairy root culture in the lab to study its alkaloid production.

Variants and Related Words

• Crown gall (n): The overarching plant disease of which hairy root is a symptomatic phase.
• Agrobacterium (n): The genus of bacteria responsible for causing crown gall and hairy root syndromes.

Synonyms

• Rhizogenesis (in a pathological context): The abnormal induction of root formation.
• Fibrous root proliferation: A descriptive term for the symptom.

Related Terms (Not Phrasal Verbs)

• Hairy root culture: A laboratory technique using genetically transformed roots to produce valuable biochemicals.
  • The pharmaceutical company uses hairy root culture to manufacture a rare compound.

Noun

1. a phase of crown gall (especially in apples) during which there is abnormal development of fine fibrous roots