Pierce's disease

American  

noun

Plant Pathology.

1. a disease of grapes caused by a rickettsialike organism, characterized by dwarfing of vines, mottling of woody tissues, and plant death.

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Etymology

Origin of Pierce's disease

Named after N. B. Pierce (died 1917), American plant pathologist

Example Sentences

Glassy-winged sharpshooters can also spread Pierce’s disease, though Pierce’s is caused by a different strain of X. fastidiosa.

From Seattle Times

If you have access to a lab that does testing for Pierce’s disease for the wineries, you should be able to get confirmation that the tree is indeed infected with the aforementioned bacteria before cutting it down.

From Seattle Times

Rodrigo Almeida, a plant pathologist at the University of California, Berkeley, warns that climate change might worsen the situation: While low winter temperatures in many grape-growing regions have traditionally limited the spread of Pierce's disease, the past few years have brought warmer winters, allowing Xylella to spread.

From Salon

The wild plant carries a dominant gene that passes along Pierce's disease resistant traits to its offspring.

From Salon

After 40 years of crossbreeding European grape varieties with wild grapes, a plant geneticist recently patented five hybrid grapes that appear to be resistant to Pierce's disease.

From Salon