(LaPresse) The anomalous wave of cold and frost that hit Trentino is putting the apple orchards and cherry trees in bloom at risk. Fires were lit at night to warm the plants given that the low temperatures threaten their survival, putting the subsequent growth of the fruits at risk. “These are days and hours of great concern for the entire agricultural sector. In this context we must defend the fields, hoping for the best. It will take at least a month to understand and evaluate the consequences of what is happening, in the meantime we can only continue to monitor the weather and work day and night to protect our orchards”, said Ernesto Seppi, president of the Association of Trentino fruit and vegetable producers and of the Melinda Consortium. “These are sleepless nights – added Seppi – For all farmers there is only one priority: to protect the apple and cherry trees in the most crucial and critical phase of the natural cycle. Having recently blossomed, the flower buds are particularly vulnerable and the low temperatures threaten their survival, putting the subsequent growth of the fruit at risk. The answer? Continuous and uninterrupted work: night fires are kept lit around the cherry trees to heat the plants as much as possible. In the meantime, watering overfoliage, where present, allows the flowers of the apple orchards to be protected through the emission of heat generated by the ice formation process. An effective strategy, the only one possible for such an extensive crop.”
