Which statement about cankers is accurate?

Which statement about cankers is accurate?

• A. They are localized necrotic lesions primarily caused by fungi.
• B. They indicate healthy timber.
• C. They are growths caused by insects.
• D. They are the same as galls.

Answer: (A)

Cankers are localized patches of dead tissue on a tree, usually appearing as sunken, discolored areas on the bark that can extend into the phloem and cambium. This necrosis results from infection or injury, with fungal pathogens being the most common culprits that colonize through wounds and disrupt the living tissue. That’s why describing cankers as localized necrotic lesions primarily caused by fungi is accurate: it captures the dead-tissue nature, the confined location, and the frequent fungal cause. They do not indicate healthy timber; rather, they signal disease or stress and can weaken the tree. They are not growths caused by insects, and they are not the same as galls, which are abnormal tissue swellings often driven by insect or mite activity.

Cankers are localized patches of dead tissue on a tree, usually appearing as sunken, discolored areas on the bark that can extend into the phloem and cambium. This necrosis results from infection or injury, with fungal pathogens being the most common culprits that colonize through wounds and disrupt the living tissue. That’s why describing cankers as localized necrotic lesions primarily caused by fungi is accurate: it captures the dead-tissue nature, the confined location, and the frequent fungal cause. They do not indicate healthy timber; rather, they signal disease or stress and can weaken the tree. They are not growths caused by insects, and they are not the same as galls, which are abnormal tissue swellings often driven by insect or mite activity.