homehome Home chatchat Notifications


American apple trees are mysteriously dying and no one really knows why

Growers are preparing for a rough season.

Mihai Andrei
April 2, 2019 @ 7:20 pm

share Share

An inexplicable pestilence is ravaging apple trees all across the US. Growers and researchers are stumped as to why this is happening.

Something is killing off apple trees, and everyone’s eager to get to the root of the problem. But so far, researchers haven’t been able to find a convincing explanation — and there probably isn’t one single explanation, but rather a sum of factors.

It’s called Rapid Apple Decline (RAD), and the first symptoms are when the apple’s tree leaves start to curl and then turn yellow or brown. Within no more than two weeks, the tree is dead. There is no clear cause or common connection to e found between cases.

“Rows of trees collapse for what seems like no reason,” said Kari Peter, plant pathologist from Pennsylvania State University. “One grower has lost 20 percent of his orchard,” Peter told Good Fruit Grower. “He’s losing trees every year.”

Some have blamed extreme weather — hot droughts during the summer and extreme cold during the winter. It’s understandable to also raise a question mark about climate change, which has been shown to exacerbate extreme weather events both hot and cold. But this is probably not the only cause.

The nature of modern apple farming might also be too blame. Rapid decline is most likely in densely packed orchards, which have become more and more common in recent times because they are easier to manage. In this type of orchard, roots are densely packed and compete for nutrition and moisture, making them more vulnerable to drought.

However, this could also suggest that a pest or pathogen is at play — although nothing has been found so far.

In fact, in a study published in the journal PLoS ONE, researchers analyzing several environmental factors, including weather, soil, roots, bacteria, and fungi, found no single common factor. In the meantime, growers are forced to prepare for a rough season.

“It wouldn’t surprise me if we get more reports of apple decline,” said Sara Villani, a plant pathologist at North Carolina State University. Up to 80% of apple trees in North Carolina show signs for RAD.

This isn’t the first mysterious pestilence to affect apple trees. A similar problem was first reported back in the 1980s, but in 2013, a devastating epidemic ravaged American apple trees. For now, scientists aren’t sure if the two are related.

 

share Share

Gardening Really Is Good for You, Science Confirms

Gardening might do more for your health than you think.

The surprising health problem surging in over 50s: sexually transmitted infections

Doctors often don't ask older patients about sex. But as STI cases rise among older adults, both awareness and the question need to be raised.

Kids Are Swallowing Fewer Coins and It Might Be Because of Rising Cashless Payments

The decline of cash has coincided with fewer surgeries for children swallowing coins.

Horses Have a Genetic Glitch That Turned Them Into Super Athletes

This one gene mutation helped horses evolve unmatched endurance.

Scientists Discover Natural Antibiotics Hidden in Our Cells

The proteasome was thought to be just a protein-recycler. Turns out, it can also kill bacteria

Future Windows Could Be Made of Wood, Rice, and Egg Whites

Simple materials could turn wood into a greener glass alternative.

Researchers Turn 'Moon Dust' Into Solar Panels That Could Power Future Space Cities

"Moonglass" could one day keep the lights on.

Ford Pinto used to be the classic example of a dangerous car. The Cybertruck is worse

Is the Cybertruck bound to be worse than the infamous Pinto?

Archaeologists Find Neanderthal Stone Tool Technology in China

A surprising cache of stone tools unearthed in China closely resembles Neanderthal tech from Ice Age Europe.

A Software Engineer Created a PDF Bigger Than the Universe and Yes It's Real

Forget country-sized PDFs — someone just made one bigger than the universe.