potato mosaic
- noun
- Specialized
:
mosaico de la papa
- Farmers inspected their fields for signs of potato mosaic after noticing discoloured patches on the leaves.
Examples
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The spread of potato mosaic can significantly reduce crop yields if not managed properly.
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Researchers are developing resistant varieties to combat potato mosaic and protect harvests.
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The farmer discovered potato mosaic in his field.
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Have you seen the effects of potato mosaic on crops?
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Farmers inspected their fields for signs of potato mosaic after noticing mottled leaves.
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Researchers are developing new potato varieties to resist potato mosaic infections.
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The potato mosaic virus caused the leaves to have unusual discolouration.
Synonyms
1
7.7
A plant disease that makes leaves show yellow and green patches
An illness that makes potato leaves yellow and tubers rot
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun phrase is fully compositional: 'mosaic' (a virus-caused leaf-mottling disease) modified by 'potato' specifies the host, so the meaning 'a mosaic disease affecting potato plants' is directly derivable from the parts. This host+disease naming pattern is common cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily understand it.
Etymology
The noun potato mosaic comes from how the disease looks on the plant. Infected potato leaves show light and dark patches like a tiled mosaic, so people used potato mosaic to mean 'a viral disease that makes potato leaves look patchy'.