damping-off

[ dam-ping-awf, -of ]

/ ˈdæm pɪŋˈɔf, -ˈɒf /

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noun Plant Pathology.

a disease of seedlings, occurring either before or immediately after emerging from the soil, characterized by rotting of the stem at soil level and eventual collapse of the plant, caused by any of several soil fungi.

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Origin of damping-off

First recorded in 1895–1900

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use damping-off in a sentence

In this way much can be done to protect the plants from injury from such diseases as the damping-off fungus and mildew.
The Vegetable Garden|Anonymous
Damping-off is a common ailment of young seedlings and cuttings.
The Nursery Book|Liberty Hyde Bailey
Another source of loss was in the damping-off of young plants.
Ginseng and Other Medicinal Plants|A. R. (Arthur Robert) Harding
Damping-off is less liable to occur in such material than in denser soils.
The Nursery Book|Liberty Hyde Bailey

British Dictionary definitions for damping-off

damping off

noun

any of various diseases of plants, esp the collapse and death of seedlings caused by the parasitic fungus Pythium debaryanum and related fungi in conditions of excessive moisture

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for damping-off

damping off

Any of various diseases of seedlings that are caused by oomycetes, especially of the genus Pythium, or by fungi, and result in wilting and death.