wilt

views updated May 14 2018

wilt¹ / wilt/ • v. [intr.] (of a plant, leaf, or flower) become limp through heat, loss of water, or disease; droop. ∎ (of a person) lose one's energy or vigor.• n. any of a number of fungal or bacterial diseases of plants characterized by wilting of the foliage.wilt² • archaic second person singular of will¹.

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English

wilt

views updated Jun 08 2018

wilt A type of plant disease in which wilting (i.e. loss of plant turgidity) is a principal symptom. Wilts are frequently due to infection of the plant by a fungus belonging to the Deuteromycotina. See e.g. VERTICILLIUM WILT.

A Dictionary of Plant Sciences MICHAEL ALLABY

wilt

views updated May 14 2018

wilt A type of plant disease in which wilting (i.e. loss of plant turgidity) is a principal symptom. Wilts are frequently caused by infection of the plant by a fungus belonging to the Deuteromycotina. See, for example, verticillium wilt.

A Dictionary of Ecology MICHAEL ALLABY

wilt

views updated May 23 2018

wilt Any of a group of plant diseases characterized by yellowing and wilting of leaves and young stems, often followed by death of the plant. Wilt diseases are caused by bacteria or fungi that grow in the sapwood and plug water-conducting tissues or disrupt the plant's water balance in some other way.

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