Above-ground symptoms of root disease include:

Above-ground symptoms of root disease include:

• A. Yellowing of leaves, branch and shoot dieback and wilting during stress
• B. Leaf spots only
• C. Fruit spots on contaminated plants
• D. Stem swelling and thickening only

Answer: (A)

When roots are diseased, the plant’s ability to take up water and nutrients is impaired. That shortage shows up above ground as yellowing of the leaves, dieback of branches and shoots, and wilting during stress because water can’t be moved efficiently to the foliage. These symptoms reflect the plant’s response to poor root function. Leaf spots, fruit spots, and stem swelling are not typical signs of a root problem on the above-ground parts, so they don’t fit as the main above-ground indicators of a root disease.

When roots are diseased, the plant’s ability to take up water and nutrients is impaired. That shortage shows up above ground as yellowing of the leaves, dieback of branches and shoots, and wilting during stress because water can’t be moved efficiently to the foliage. These symptoms reflect the plant’s response to poor root function. Leaf spots, fruit spots, and stem swelling are not typical signs of a root problem on the above-ground parts, so they don’t fit as the main above-ground indicators of a root disease.