Temperatures remain mild at well above 20°C in southern Italy despite the brief passing of the Ciaran storm. The prolonged heat is worrying producers, as they are afraid some crops will suffer because, in a normal situation, some species would enter a period of vegetative rest after losing their leaves, but it is not happening in some areas.

Southern regions are in fact registering peaks of 24-26°C, which are causing surprising and abnormal out-of-season blossoming. In Puglia, for example, the mild fall weeks have contributed to destabilizing the vegetative-production cycle of cherry and fig trees. Some cherry orchards are in bloom in the Bari province while fig trees are still producing in the Brindisi province.

Heat waves are alarming for the agricultural sector. For years, scientists, meteorologists, climatologists and atmosphere physicians have been warning us that the frequency and intensity of extreme events will increase due to the global warming caused by human activity.

It must be pointed out, however, that the shifting of vegetative cycles are often also linked to a lack of care of the orchards in the post-harvest phase or to an excessive use of plant protection products, and not only to climate change.

Source - https://www.freshplaza.com