"In some regions, as many as 80 percent of trees could be in danger."

"Apple trees are an iconic national symbol in America, but the future of this beloved fruit could be in doubt, reports Science.

Something is killing apple trees across the American countryside, and the epidemic is reaching plague-like levels. Worst yet, scientists are completely clueless as to what is causing the mysterious pestilence.

The puzzling affliction is being called RAD, or rapid apple decline, and it typically begins on a single tree limb. As the leaves begin to grow, they curl up and turn yellowish-red while they are still small. This then spreads to other limbs until the entire apple tree dies. Sometimes the disease seems to spread from tree to tree like a contagion, other times it manifests randomly across an orchard."

Bryan Nelson reports for Mother Nature Network March 28, 2019. [2]