leaf blight

noun

Plant Pathology.

1. a symptom or phase of many diseases of plants, characterized by necrotic spots or streaks on the leaves, accompanied by seed rot and seedling blight.

2. any disease so characterized.

Word History and Origins

Origin of leaf blight¹

First recorded in 1840–50

Example Sentences

You should, however, bag fallen diseased leaves — the foliage with black spot, mildew, leaf blights — to minimize problems next year.

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Disdainful of experts who could have advised them on tropical agriculture, Ford’s men planted seeds of questionable value and let leaf blight ravage the plantation.

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Modern-day critics—that’s code for my wife—complain about apple trees: the leaf blights, the maggots, the unpicked fruit that smashes on car hoods.

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‘Paul’s Scarlet’ hawthorn trees produce deep-pink double flowers in the spring but can be bare by midsummer, victims of leaf blight.

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Today it is certain leaf spots and leaf blights she’s looking for.

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