Warmer UK weather adding to spread of fruit tree diseases

Royal Horticultural Society links spread of orchard infections to heatwave with trees still at risk

The UK’s fruit trees are under threat due to climate change, as plant diseases which thrive in warm weather are becoming more common.

Each year, the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) compiles a list of the most common plant diseases identified by its almost half a million members. Gardeners take pictures or samples of afflicted trees, crops or flowers and send them in to the plant pathologists, who can identify the disease.