Blight facts for kids

Blight is a plant disease that makes plants quickly wilt, turn brown, and die. It can affect different parts of a plant, like leaves, branches, or flowers. Many different diseases that cause these symptoms are called blights.

What is Blight?

Blight happens when a plant gets infected by tiny living things like fungi, bacteria, or molds. These infections spread fast and cause the plant's tissues to die. You might first see small spots or lesions on the leaves. These spots then grow very quickly, covering and killing the surrounding plant parts.

Different Kinds of Blight

There are many types of blight, and each one can cause big problems for different plants.

Potato Blight: A Big Problem

One famous example is the late blight of potato. It is caused by a water mold called Phytophthora infestans. This disease was so severe that it led to the Irish potato famine in the 1840s. Millions of people relied on potatoes for food, and when the blight destroyed the crops, it caused widespread hunger.

Corn Blight: A US Story

Another type is the southern corn leaf blight. This disease is caused by a fungus named Cochliobolus heterostrophus. In 1970, it caused a huge loss of corn crops in the United States. This showed how much a single plant disease can affect food supplies.

Chestnut Blight: Saving Trees

Chestnut blight is caused by the fungus Cryphonectria parasitica. This fungus has almost completely wiped out mature American chestnut trees in North America. These trees were once very common and important to the forest. Scientists are now working hard to find ways to bring them back.

Rice Blight: Important for Food

Bacterial leaf blight of rice is caused by a bacterium called Xanthomonas oryzae. Rice is a main food source for billions of people around the world. So, this blight can be a serious threat to food security in many countries.

Other Blights You Might See

• Early blight can affect potatoes and tomatoes. It is caused by common fungi from the Alternaria group.
• Leaf blight can also affect different kinds of grasses.

How Blight Harms Plants

When a plant gets blight, you will first see small damaged areas, like spots, on its leaves. These spots quickly grow bigger and spread. They make the plant tissue turn brown and then die. This rapid death of plant parts is what makes blight so damaging.

Images for kids

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  Chestnut blight

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  Brown felt blight

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  Potato late blight

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  Fire blight appletree fruit

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  Three dead Bermuda cedars in 2019