Which of the following is a symptom of road salt injury?

• A. Witches brooms and cankers
• B. Increased fruit set
• C. Uniform leaf color
• D. Shortened stems only

Answer: (A)

Road salt injures plants by causing osmotic stress and ion toxicity in the root zone, which leads to tissue damage where salts accumulate and can trigger abnormal growth responses in woody ornamentals. One recognizable symptom pattern is the development of witches’ broom, a dense cluster of shoots arising from a single point, along with cankers where the bark and cambium are damaged. These signs reflect the plant’s stressed condition and localized tissue injury from salt exposure, rather than normal growth or overall uniform health.

The other options don’t fit well with road salt injury. Increased fruit set would suggest favorable conditions, not damage. Uniform leaf color implies little to no leaf scorch or chlorosis typical of salt stress. Shortened stems only describe a narrow aspect of growth reduction and don’t capture the typical, more conspicuous broom-like proliferation and bark lesions that road salt injury can produce.