What is the term for the death of vegetation starting at leaf tips and moving inward?

What is the term for the death of vegetation starting at leaf tips and moving inward?

• A. Wilt
• B. Senescence
• C. Moldering
• D. Dieback

Answer: (D)

Dieback describes the pattern where plant tissue dies starting at the tips or outer parts and progresses inward toward the base. This progression happens as damage or stress (like drought, pests, or disease) affects the distal tissues first, causing the ends to die back along stems and branches. Wilt wouldn’t fit because it’s about loss of turgor causing drooping while the plant remains alive; senescence is the aging process with planned or seasonal leaf aging and shedding; moldering is decay from fungal activity on dead material. So the term that matches death advancing from leaf tips inward is dieback.

Dieback describes the pattern where plant tissue dies starting at the tips or outer parts and progresses inward toward the base. This progression happens as damage or stress (like drought, pests, or disease) affects the distal tissues first, causing the ends to die back along stems and branches. Wilt wouldn’t fit because it’s about loss of turgor causing drooping while the plant remains alive; senescence is the aging process with planned or seasonal leaf aging and shedding; moldering is decay from fungal activity on dead material. So the term that matches death advancing from leaf tips inward is dieback.