rhizoctonia

[ rahy-zok-toh-nee-uh ]

noun

1. any of various soil-inhabiting fungi of the genus Rhizoctonia, some species of which are destructive to cultivated plants, causing damping off of seedlings, foliage blight, root and stem cankers, and rot of storage organs.

Word History and Origins

Origin of rhizoctonia¹

< New Latin (1815), equivalent to Greek rhizo- rhizo- + któn ( os ) murder (akin to kteínein to kill, slay) + New Latin -ia -ia; so called from its pathogenic activity

Example Sentences

This Rhizoctonia is a mere spawn or mycelium, a mass of rusty-brown material like a thick coating of spider's web of a red tint.

From Project Gutenberg

The fungus causing it (Rhizoctonia) attacks the roots and base of the stem, forming dark cankers.

From Project Gutenberg