What types of diseases can affect specialty crops?

Specialty crops can be vulnerable to a broad range of diseases, including fungal, bacterial, and viral pathogens. Fungal diseases are often the most prevalent, as fungi thrive in various environments and can affect a diverse array of crops, leading to issues like rot, wilting, and leaf spots. Bacterial diseases, while potentially less common than fungal diseases, can still cause significant damage through symptoms such as wilt, blight, and cankers. Viral diseases are also a critical concern as they can spread quickly and lead to stunted growth, mottled leaves, and diminished yields.

By encompassing all three major categories of pathogens—fungal, bacterial, and viral—this option recognizes the complexity of plant health management in specialty crops. This understanding is crucial for farmers and agronomists as they develop integrated pest management strategies to mitigate disease impact and ensure the health of their crops. Other options that suggest a limitation to one type of disease fail to capture the diversity and range of challenges that growers face when managing specialty crops.