As plant diseases that thrive in warm weather are becoming more common, fruit trees in the UK are under threat as a result of climate change. Every year, the Royal Horticultural Society compiles a list of the most common plant diseases reported by its nearly 500,000 members.
According to Dr. Liz Beal, a plant pathologist at the RHS, an increase in diseases is a direct result of last summer's extreme heat, which caused many plants to become stressed and thus more susceptible to problems when rain, combined with continuing mild temperatures in the autumn, provided the ideal breeding ground for diseases to spread.
Most fungi require warm, wet weather to spread and infect plants. While many of these diseases cause fruit to rot or have an unappealing appearance, others can be fatal.
Source: natureworldnews.com