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apple scab
noun
: a disease of apple trees caused by a fungus (Venturia inaequalis) producing dark blotches or lesions on the leaves, fruit, and sometimes the young twigs
Examples of apple scab in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
These specialty crops are especially susceptible to diseases like apple scab, a fungal ailment that attacks both a tree’s leaves and fruit with unsightly lesions, and outbreaks of highly infectious fire blight, which can kill entire trees outright.
—Laura Kiniry, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Dec. 2023
Great for eating fresh, these apples are crisp and mild in flavor and resistant to apple scab, a common disease for apples grown in this New York region.
—Katlyn Moncada, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 Dec. 2023
Clean up diseased or infested plants: If any of your plants had a serious problem, such as apple scab on crab apple trees or black spot on rose bushes, clean them up to reduce the risk that the problem will return next year.
—Beth Botts, Chicago Tribune, 20 Nov. 2022
Fungicide treatments for apple scab are done early in the spring when plants are flowering and not recommended at this time of the season.
—oregonlive, 11 June 2022
The damage on the leaves is likely due to apple scab, a very common disease on apples.
—oregonlive, 11 June 2022
If any of your plants had a serious problem, such as apple scab on crab apple trees or viburnum leaf beetles on viburnum shrubs, do clean it up to reduce the risk that the problem will return next year.
—Beth Botts, chicagotribune.com, 27 Nov. 2021
McIntosh is very susceptible to apple scab here and may have trouble with that disease.
—oregonlive, 31 Oct. 2021
For example, newer cultivars of flowering crabapple trees are usually resistant to apple scab and fire blight, diseases that disfigure many older trees.
—Beth Botts, chicagotribune.com, 19 Sep. 2021
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'apple scab.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1883, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near apple scab
Cite this Entry
“Apple scab.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/apple%20scab. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.
More from Merriam-Webster on apple scab
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about apple scab
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