Which term describes the injury where only the upper or lower leaf surface is scraped off, leaving the veins intact?

• A. Defoliation
• B. Girdling
• C. Skeletonizing
• D. Leafmining

Answer: (C)

Skeletonizing is the type of leaf damage where tissue between the veins is removed or scraped away, leaving the network of veins intact and creating a lace-like skeleton of the leaf. This description matches a situation where only one surface is affected and the veins remain, rather than the whole leaf or internal leaf layers. Defoliation means entire leaves are lost, not partial tissue removal. Girdling is damage to a stem or trunk that interrupts transport, not a leaf surface injury. Leafmining involves larvae feeding between leaf surfaces and tunneling through the tissue, not simply scraping one surface and leaving the vein framework.