Leaf scorch is defined as browning of plant tissues, including leaf margins and tips, and yellowing or darkening of veins which may lead to eventual wilting

Wilting

Wilting refers to the loss of rigidity of non-woody parts of plants. This occurs when the turgor pressure in non-lignified plant cells falls towards zero, as a result of diminished water in the cells...

 and abscission

Abscission

Abscission is a term used in several areas of biology. In plant sciences it most commonly refers to the process by which a plant drops one or more of its parts, such as a leaf, fruit, flower or seed...

 of the leaf. It is also known as leaf burn or leaf wilt.

Leaf scorch may also refer to a bacterial leaf scorch (typically infection of Xylella) causing symptoms similar to nitrogen burn and leaf scorch, but distinguished by a lack of a uniform margin of damage.

Causes

Leaf scorch can be caused by soil compaction

Soil compaction

In Geotechnical engineering, soil compaction is the process in which a stress applied to a soil causes densification as air is displaced from the pores between the soil grains. When stress is applied that causes densification due to water being displaced from between the soil grains then...

, transplant shock, nutrient deficiency, drought, salt toxicity, and herbicide

Herbicide

Herbicides, also commonly known as weedkillers, are pesticides used to kill unwanted plants. Selective herbicides kill specific targets while leaving the desired crop relatively unharmed. Some of these act by interfering with the growth of the weed and are often synthetic "imitations" of plant...

 injury.

Treatment

Affected plants may sometimes recover through watering and fertilization (if the cause is not over-fertilization). Light pruning may also help to reduce the water-pumping load on the roots and xylem.

In the case of leaf scorch through over-fertilization, recovery may take time, requiring a treatment of a slow leaching process through drip irrigation over 24-48 hours.

Prevention

Reversal of symptoms and damage can be enacted through the following cultural practices:

• Pruning sprouts and affected areas
• Avoiding frequent, light waterings which promote unhealthy root systems
• Watering heavily to promote deep root systems
• Avoiding over-fertilization