stem blight

6.9

A plant disease where a fungus causes stems to rot and die

noun
/stɛm blaɪt/

Specialized

: marchitez del tallo

The tomato crop was devastated by stem blight after several weeks of heavy rain.

Examples

Proper spacing between plants can help prevent the spread of stem blight.
Farmers are advised to check their beans regularly for signs of stem blight.
The farmer discovered stem blight in his crops.
Many plants can suffer from stem blight if not treated.
Farmers are advised to check their beans regularly for signs of stem blight.
Proper spacing between plants can help prevent the spread of stem blight.
The tomato crop was devastated by stem blight after several weeks of heavy rain.

Synonyms

blight

vsstem blight

Specialized

7 7.3

A plant disease that makes leaves and stems die without rotting

is a fungal condition that causes decay and death of stalks

cane blight

vsstem blight

Specialized

7.7

A disease that kills the stems of berry bushes and reduces the harvest

is a broader fungal disease not limited to bush fruit stalks

How Severe

dry rot

Specialized

3 6.3

root rot

Specialized

1 5.0

foot rot

Specialized

6.2

stem blight

Specialized

6.9

to die back

Specialized

1 6.7

Surface Forms

stem blight singular

stem blights plural

Morphology

stem + blight

The MWE's meaning is directly compositionally derived from 'stem' (the plant stalk) + 'blight' (a plant disease causing withering), so the phrase straightforwardly denotes a disease affecting stems. This literal noun+noun compound is a common, cross-linguistic plant-disease construction, so an average B1 learner who knows the constituents will readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

The compound noun stem blight comes from farming: when a fungus attacks the plant stem, it makes the stem turn brown and 'rot', and the plant often 'dies'. So, stem blight means a disease that damages and kills plant stems.