charcoal rot: Meaning and Definition of

char'coal rot"

Pronunciation: [key]
  1. a disease of plants, esp. sorghum, corn, etc., characterized by basal stem lesions and a black discoloration and dry rot of the internal tissues at the base of the stem and upper roots, caused by a fungus, Macrophomina phaseoli.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.