The unusually high temperatures registered in mid-October are having an impact on the citrus season in the Guadalquivir Basin, with plantations in the provinces of Cordoba, Seville and Huelva.

To be precise, during the week between 20 and 26 October temperatures reached 35 degrees in some of these areas, which is delaying the fruit's colouring. As for dates, they are similar to last season's. The orange harvest started in mid-October, while that of mandarins kicked off a couple of weeks earlier.

As an initial assessment, at this early stage growers have been harvesting a fruit with higher calibres than usual, which consequently results in a lower yield. The quality is good, with a good level of sugar and juice. Rains have been scarce, even for this time of year, and rainfall has concentrated as heavy rain in just a few days, but this has not had a negative impact on the fruit ripening process; quite the contrary, it has been beneficial. The lack of cold temperatures, as mentioned earlier, is the only negative aspect at these early stages.

Source - http://www.freshplaza.com/