Warmer UK weather adding to spread of fruit tree diseases

Pear trees in Berkshire show signs of stress during 2022’s heatwave. High temperatures increase fruit trees’ long-term susceptibility to disease. Photograph: Maureen McLean/Rex/Shutterstock

The UK’s fruit trees are under threat as a result of the climate crisis because plant diseases that 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.