late blight
Noun: 1. A plant disease, specifically a blight, where symptoms become evident late in the growing season. This term most commonly refers to a devastating disease of potato and tomato plants caused by the water mold Phytophthora infestans. * The cool, wet weather created perfect conditions for late blight to spread through the potato fields. * Gardeners fear late blight because it can destroy an entire tomato crop very quickly.
The term "late blight" is used almost exclusively in agricultural, botanical, and gardening contexts. It names a specific, well-known plant pathology. It is typically used as a non-count noun to refer to the disease itself. * Farmers are spraying to prevent late blight. * The identification of late blight requires checking for distinctive lesions on leaves and stems.
- Historical Context: "Late blight" is famously associated with the Great Famine in Ireland (1845-1852), where the disease caused the catastrophic failure of the potato crop.
- The outbreak of late blight led to widespread famine in Ireland.
- Early Blight (n): A different, less aggressive fungal disease (caused by ) affecting the same plants, where symptoms appear earlier in the season.
- Blight (n): A general term for any plant disease that causes withering, rotting, and death of tissues without rotting of the entire plant.
- Phytophthora infestans (n): The scientific name of the pathogen that causes late blight.
- Potato Blight (n): A common synonym, highlighting the crop most famously affected.
- Tomato Blight (n): Used when the disease specifically affects tomato plants.
- Resistant to late blight: Describes plant varieties bred to withstand the disease.
- Planting varieties that are resistant to late blight can save the harvest.
- Late blight outbreak: Refers to a sudden, widespread occurrence of the disease.
- An aggressive late blight outbreak was reported in several counties.
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blight in which symptoms appear late in the growing season especially a disease of solanaceous plants caused by the fungus Phytophthora infestans
