Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
stem canker

stem canker

8.8
A disease that makes sunken black spots on potato stems
  • noun
  • /stɛm ˈkæŋkər/
  • Specialized
translation icon : cáncer del tallo
  • Signs of stem canker include black, sunken spots on the lower stems of the plants.

Examples

  • Potato crops can be severely affected by stem canker, leading to reduced yields.

  • Farmers use resistant varieties to minimize the risk of stem canker in their fields.

  • The potato plants showed signs of stem canker.

  • Farmers are worried about stem cankers affecting their crops.

  • Farmers use resistant varieties to minimize the risk of stem canker in their potato fields.

  • Signs of stem canker include dark lesions that appear on the stems of affected potato plants.

  • Potato crops can suffer significant damage from stem canker, resulting in lower harvests.

Synonyms

canker
vsstem canker
  • Specialized
1 8.5

A disease that makes dead areas on tree bark and branches

affects potato plants, producing sunken lesions on stalks caused by specific fungi

Surface Forms

stem canker singular
stem cankers plural

Morphology

stem + canker

The meaning is directly compositional: 'stem' (the plant stalk) + 'canker' (a lesion or fungal infection) yields 'a canker affecting the stem', so the overall sense is a literal, descriptive combination. This follows common compounding patterns in botanical terminology and would be inferable by a B1 learner who knows both constituent words.

Etymology

Stem canker comes from the image of a plant with a sore on its stem: canker was an old word for a sore or wound, so a stem canker is a dark, sunken spot that looks like a wound and is often caused by a fungus. That's why the name means 'a disease' that makes sunken spots on stems.