On Friday 5 June 2020 the rain fell all over southern Italy. It fell relentlessly, as in a thunderstorm, for more than 24 hours. Instances of Cracking are already occurring in the areas of Apulian cherry production. "So far it has been a completely anomalous and difficult season. After the frosts of the past few months, that have almost eliminated the production of early cherries (such as Bigarreau), and after the hail of two weeks ago that hit some crops, the last rainfall, which fell relentlessly throughout the region, reduced the cherry harvest by about 45%, because the fruits were affected by cracking. These are the images that I received from some producers, both from the south and the north in Bari. It is a real disaster," said Costantino Pirolo, an agronomist from Bari. "The large-sized fruits, which have now reached maturity and are ready to be harvested, are the most damaged. The Ferrovia cherry has also been hit. In these days the largest quantity of the entire campaign should have been collected. This will involve greater work units in the field to select the fruit, as well as an increase in harvest times. There are also crops that are still in the ripening phase, and that have not been affected by cracking". "After the brief respite over the weekend, the rains have not yet left the region. The beginning of the week seems to be characterized by heavy rainfall, which is worrying the cherry growers, who are waiting for the good weather to stabilize". Source - https://www.freshplaza.com