sooty mold

Definition of sooty mold

: a dark growth of fungus mycelium growing in insect honeydew on plants also : any of various ascomycetous fungi (order Dothideales) producing such growth

Examples of sooty mold in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web That’s sooty mold, a fungus that gets started in the sticky honeydew residue left behind by aphids and scale insects. — Neil Sperry, ExpressNews.com, "Down to Earth: Bagging bagworms worth the unpleasant effort," 16 Jan. 2020 Within a few days, honeydew draws a black fungus called sooty mold. — Adrian Higgins, Washington Post, "‘This is going to be a bad one’: A new pest is causing quarantines in Va. and Pa.," 26 June 2019 Also, when the whiteflies are under control, the sooty mold gradually disappears. — Tom Maccubbin, orlandosentinel.com, "When and how to fertilize ixora," 23 Nov. 2019 This sticky sap coats the surface of plants and encourages the growth of black sooty mold, which damages the plant or tree. — Jennifer Leman, Popular Mechanics, "We Must Destroy the Spotted Lanternfly, a Useless Garbage Insect," 20 Sep. 2019 When sprayed, the sooty mold fungus slowly sloughs off the tree portions. — Tom Maccubbin, orlandosentinel.com, "It’s a puzzle figuring out when to pick avocados," 6 July 2019 The sprays can also help loosen and remove the sooty mold. — Tom Maccubbin, orlandosentinel.com, "Easter lily bulbs can be left in container or transplanted," 29 June 2019 With time, the sap oozes down the bark and eventually turns black because it is colonized by an ever present fungus with the very appropriate name of sooty mold. — oregonlive.com, "Ask an Expert: Selectively thin branches, rather than ‘top’ a Raywood ash," 14 June 2019 The owner keeps it pruned and inoculated against beech-blight aphids (Grylloprociphilus imbricator) that also encourage a fungus, a sooty mold (Scorias spongiosa). — C.d. Wright, Harper's magazine, "Life’s a Beech," 10 Jan. 2019

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

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Cite this Entry

“Sooty mold.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sooty%20mold. Accessed 15 Aug. 2020.

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