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Glite Dictionary
fire blight

fire blight

1 7.7
A serious disease caused by bacteria that makes apple and pear shoots and flowers turn black and die
  • noun
  • /ˈfaɪər blaɪt/
  • Specialized
translation icon : muerte súbita
  • Although this bacterium is related to the pathogen that causes fire blight, it is a different species and does not hurt the fruit trees.
  • fire blight pathogen
  • fire blight bacteria
  • resistance to fire blight

Examples

  • Samples from species collected in other expedition sites have provided promising news in the fight against fire blight.

    Academic text (2006)

  • Unfortunately, our Gravenstein has been battling a bacterial disease called fire blight over the past few years.

  • "Two years ago," says Sheffer, "we lost 400 apple trees to fire blight."

    Academic text (1999)

  • In 1880, he discovered that the disease now known as fire blight was also associated with a bacterium.

    Academic text (1997)

  • Plant pathologist Roberts has worked for the last 11 years on international plant quarantine issues related to fire blight.

    Academic text (1998)

  • Research by ARS and university scientists is helping the growers manage one of the industry's major disease challenges, fire blight.

    Academic text (1998)

  • Fire blight infects terminal leaves on an unpruned and uncovered apple tree.

    Academic text (1997)

  • Fire blight destroys apples, pears, and woody ornamentals in the Rosaceae family.

    Academic text (2006)

  • If shoots are attacked by fire blight, cut them 6 inches below the visible symptoms.

  • Commercial orchards won't grow them because the tree is susceptible to fire blight, a disease that can devastate them.

Synonyms

pear blight
vsfire blight
  • Specialized
8.2

A disease that makes leaves on pear and apple trees turn black and wilt

targets leaves plus branches and blossoms not only leaves
apple blight
vsfire blight
  • Specialized
6.3

A disease that makes apple tree leaves and fruit rot and can kill trees

is a bacterial illness mainly hitting leaves branches and blossoms rather than fruit

How Severe

fire blight
  • Specialized
1 7.7
pear blight
  • Specialized
8.2
dieback
  • Specialized
1 8.8
canker
  • Specialized
1 8.5

Surface Forms

fire blight singular
fire blights plural

Morphology

fire + blight

Because 'blight' already denotes a plant disease and 'fire' evokes burning/blackening, a learner who knows both words can reasonably infer this refers to a blight with fire-like (blackening/wilting) symptoms. The exact biological cause and host specificity (a bacterial disease of apple/pear) are not predictable from the words alone, so the relation is only partially transparent.

Etymology

The noun fire blight comes from the way the disease makes tree branches and flowers look black and burned, as if touched by fire. Because blight means a plant 'disease', the name now means a 'disease' that blackens and kills parts of apple and pear trees.