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Glite Dictionary
Phytophthora infestans

Phytophthora infestans

9.9
A fungus-like organism that causes late blight, a disease that rots potato and tomato plants
  • noun
  • /faɪˈtɒfθərə ɪnˈfɛstənz/
  • Specialized
translation icon : Phytophthora infestans
  • Phytophthora infestans caused significant losses in potato harvests due to its role in late blight.

Examples

  • Farmers monitor their fields regularly to detect early signs of Phytophthora infestans infection.

  • The spread of Phytophthora infestans can be limited by using disease-resistant plant varieties.

  • Phytophthora infestans devastated potato crops in Ireland during the 1840s, contributing to the Great Famine.

  • Farmers are concerned about Phytophthora infestans affecting their tomato crops.

  • The Phytophthora infestans outbreak devastated potato fields last year.

  • To protect their crops, farmers implement strategies to manage Phytophthora infestans and reduce its impact.

  • The rapid spread of Phytophthora infestans during the wet season often leads to severe crop diseases in potatoes.

Surface Forms

Phytophthora infestans singular
Phytophthora infestans plural

Morphology

Phytophthora + infestans

This is a scientific Latin binomial rather than a regular English phrase; its meaning (a specific plant pathogen causing late blight) is not compositionally derived in ordinary English from its parts. The genus name is a technical term and 'infestans' is a Latin participle not listed in the learner dictionary, so an average B1 learner who knows the listed constituents would not be able to infer the disease-causing species sense.

Etymology

Phytophthora infestans comes from old Greek and Latin parts: phyto means 'plant', phthora means 'destroy', and infestans means 'attacking'. So the name shows a tiny living thing that attacks and destroys plants, which explains why it causes serious disease in potatoes and tomatoes.