needle cast
- noun
- Specialized
:
caída de agujas
- Farmers in the region are concerned about needle cast, as it affects the health of their coniferous trees.
Examples
-
The forest was devastated by a severe case of needle cast, causing the trees to shed their needles prematurely.
-
And the whitebarks themselves are afflicted by several types of needle cast and blight fungi.
Academic text (1998) -
Like let's see, I think this whole whole shoot right here is brand new and if you look in here, there is some needle cast going on again.
-
After inspecting the pines, the arborist confirmed that needle cast was responsible for the brown needles and tree stress.
Synonyms
A disease that makes the needles of pine or spruce trees fall early
A disease of evergreen trees like pines that makes their needles fall early
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound links 'needle' (a pine leaf) with 'cast' in the sense of 'to cast off/shed', so a learner who knows both words can plausibly infer that needles are being shed. However, the disease sense (a specific fungal condition causing premature needle loss) is technical and the verb sense 'cast' meaning 'shed' is less salient for B1 learners, so the overall meaning is only partially predictable.
Etymology
Needle cast comes from a simple picture: the tree's needles are cast, or 'thrown off', when a disease makes them turn brown. So needle cast means a 'sickness' that makes the needles turn brown and 'fall off'.
