“Frost was announced so we remain vigilant,” explains Anthony Oboussier, fruit grower based in the Drôme department. “Last week, we struggled at night. One night, the alarm went off at 1.45 am and the temperature was below 1°C at that time. While preparing the equipment and warning the employees, we lit the candles and the antifreeze tower at 3 am. I was really worried that temperatures would continue to drop. The wind picked up slightly with a warmer air mass so temperatures eventually stayed around 0°C all night.” Luckily, his orchards did not suffer any damage.
“The forecast is better but we remain on alert,” explains Anthony, who lost 100% of his crop during the frosts of 2021 after 8 nights of relentless struggle. “We have just finished putting new candles in the orchards in anticipation of possible frost in the coming days but overall, there is much less concern this year. According to the forecast, “temperatures should indeed be milder from now on.”
No damage was reported in the Drôme, Var or Isère department, but this remains to be confirmed for other regions such as the Rhône Valley.
Source - https://www.freshplaza.com
