North Greece’s Melons Destroyed by Hail and Earth Born Plant Diseases

Hail hit the area of Veria in Greece early in July 2022 destroying all newly planted Cantaloupe and Charentais melons, affecting an area of 3,000 hectares. The re-establishment of plants took place immediately since weather conditions would not permit any further delay. Misfortune struck again in the form of an extreme plant disease coming from earth born fungi and bacteria. The loss of production is considered as total, in a season where the demand for melons in August are expected to be the highest in the past 5 years. The gap at the shelves of local retailers will not be easily covered since Spain and Italy are already facing supply issues due to extreme the recent extreme heat wave.