Climate change often manifests itself in increased numbers of intense weather events. In the Midwest, in recent years, warmer than average summer temperatures have been accompanied by record high rainfall - much of which comes in intense thunderstorms. These conditions encourage the development of bacterial diseases of tomato and other crops. All bacterial diseases are favored by wet weather, but intense storms also promote the spread of bacteria from plant to plant by splashing rain and cause woundsthat allow bacteria to enter plants easily. Recent outbreaks of tomato bacterial spot and bacterial canker, both favored by hot, wet conditions, are presenting critical challenges to the tomato industry. Recent losses to the Midwest tomato processing industry caused by bacterial spot alone have been estimated to be in the tens of millions of dollars.
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