Which of the following is one of the five categories of plant symptoms?

• A. Necrosis
• B. Girdling
• C. Leafmining
• D. Overdevelopment

Answer: (A)

Tissue death is one of the fundamental ways plants show trouble, so necrosis is a primary category used to describe symptoms. When tissue dies, you see brown or black, dead areas on leaves, stems, or roots, which signals damage from disease, toxins, or environmental stress. This broad category helps distinguish problems rooted in tissue loss from other symptom types.

Girdling describes a pattern of damage around a stem or branch that blocks flow, which is a specific injury mechanism rather than a general symptom category. Leaf mining refers to insect activity inside leaves, a particular insect-related symptom. Overdevelopment describes abnormal growth rather than a standard symptom category. So necrosis fits as the broad, recognized category among these options.