powdery mildew

Definition of powdery mildew

1 : an ascomycetous fungus (family Erysiphaceae) producing abundant powdery conidia on the host

2 : a plant disease caused by a powdery mildew

Examples of powdery mildew in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Phlox are susceptible to several fungal diseases that start at the bottom and move upwards, such as powdery mildew or leaf spots. — Ellen Nibali, baltimoresun.com, "Garden Q&A: The very hungry caterpillars and protecting the phlox," 15 Aug. 2019 Above ground, fungal diseases such as rose rust, powdery mildew, and anthracnose in sycamores thrive in moisture on the leaves and stems of trees, shrubs and perennials. — Beth Botts, chicagotribune.com, "Wet spring may have hurt some plants, but yards should be drying out now. And it might be time to .... water.," 10 July 2019 This looks like Eastern flowering dogwood and these do have a tendency to get powdery mildew. — oregonlive.com, "Ask An Expert: Difficult weather conditions can make berries ripen unevenly," 9 Aug. 2019 Usually the powdery mildew is not thick enough on the leaves to block sunlight, which is needed for photosynthesis, Mayer said. — Jo Ellen Meyers Sharp, Indianapolis Star, "The Hoosier Gardener: Weather prime for fungus problems," 28 June 2019 That's why gardening professionals rely on plant trials to see which cultivars resist powdery mildew and stand up to the heat. — Karel Holloway, Dallas News, "Dallas Arboretum releases newest plant recommendations — veggies included — for North Texas," 10 July 2019 Newer crape myrtles are normally powdery mildew-free with full sun exposures and in unprotected areas. — Tom Maccubbin, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Summer heat, rain not kind to geraniums," 30 June 2018 The variety is supposed to be resistant to powdery mildew, so what could this be? — Tom Maccubbin, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Summer heat, rain not kind to geraniums," 30 June 2018 Also, plants watered by drip irrigation don’t end up with wet foliage from sprinkler spray, and that can help prevent some foliage diseases such as powdery mildew. — The Editors Of Organic Life, Good Housekeeping, "How To Use Soaker Hoses To Install A Drip Irrigation System In Your Garden," 7 Mar. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'powdery mildew.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

1 Nov 2019

Time Traveler for powdery mildew

The first known use of powdery mildew was in 1889

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