late blight
- noun
- /leɪt blaɪt/
- Specialized
- Plant pathologist Ken Deahl examines a potato damaged by late blight fungus.
- late blight in potato
- strains of late blight
- late blight fungus
B Farmers used kelp that had not had the salt water washed off CA disease called late blight, which caused potatoes to turn soft and rot.
- B Farmers used kelp that had not had the salt water washed off CA disease called late blight, which caused potatoes to turn soft and rot.
Examples
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In high-risk areas, it is important to plant late blight-resistant varieties of tomatoes to prevent crop loss.
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Everything is doing well, I tell him, but I'm worried about late blight in the tomatoes.
Fiction book (1990) -
In addition to potato plants, it works on tomato plants, which are also victims of late blight.
Academic text (1997) -
Just how devastating are these new strains of late blight?
Academic text (1997) -
It's the most destructive disease of potatoes worldwide, and late blight also affects tomatoes.
Academic text (1994) -
The scientists are now readying a potato that is remarkably resistant to the late-blight fungus.
Academic text (2003) -
"In 1993 yield tests, the new resistant selections yielded as well as standard varieties and had superior late blight resistance," she says.
Academic text (1994) -
"In the 25 years that I've worked with late blight, I've never seen blight attack tubers like these new strains do," he says.
Academic text (1997) -
Late blight can spread rapidly in warm, humid conditions, leading to significant damage to potato crops.
-
Farmers should monitor their fields closely for signs of late blight, as early detection can help save the harvest.
Synonyms
A plant disease that makes leaves and stems die without rotting
A disease that makes tomato leaves, stems or fruit rot
A plant disease that makes potato leaves and potatoes rot
A disease caused by a fungus that makes potatoes rot in fields
How Harmful
- Specialized
- Specialized
- Specialized
- Specialized
- Specialized
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly and compositionally derived from 'late' (occurring near the end) + 'blight' (a plant disease): it refers to a blight that appears late in the growing season. This straightforward noun–modifier combination follows normal English compounding and is cross-linguistically transparent, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents should be able to infer the meaning.
Etymology
Late blight comes from a simple farming picture: the disease appears late in the growing season and blight means it quickly kills or damages leaves and potatoes, so today the name refers to this serious plant disease.