In Poland, following an unseasonably warm spell, orchard and vineyard proprietors have resorted to igniting bonfires to mitigate the impact of a sudden cold snap on their crops. The preceding warm phase, with temperatures exceeding 25°C, induced premature blooming of plants, now susceptible to the recent plummet in temperatures to as low as -8°C.
At this time, Almeria's tomato campaign seems to be reaching its final stages in many farms. "At Caña y Retama, we are specialized in organic tomatoes, with our main specialty being tomatoes on the vine," says Emilio Jesús López.
Europe is currently experiencing an unexpected cold period, significantly affecting the agricultural sector, particularly fruit farmers concerned about their summer harvests. The continent has faced colder temperatures than initially forecasted for spring, raising concerns over food supply implications.
Production of aromatic and medicinal plants in Morocco has suffered a severe blow this year due to persistent drought, leading to a drop in supply and the reconversion of many growers and exporters to other crops, according to Mehdi Benchekroun, owner of Domaines Mehdi Benchekroun.
Extreme heat, wildfires, and deep freezes have hit the province’s wineries hard, with much of this year’s crop expected to be lost due to January’s bitter cold snap.The industry is now looking at how it will get through some hard years ahead, as the 2024 Vintage is expected to be quite limited.
Freezing temperatures have dealt a devastating blow to the fruit harvest in Czechia, with estimated damages surpassing 1 billion Czech crowns (40 million euros). Horticulturists report that the majority of fruit trees across the country have been damaged, resulting in a nearly complete loss of the harvest.
Producers in Sweden have not had enough direct sunlight to grow much needed vegetables during spring, leading to a 30% drop in production. Peter Horvath, from Svenska Odlarlaget, one of the largest Producer Organizations in the country, "During Spring the average temperature has been around 0 degrees.
As a result of the latest frosts in Ukraine, the peak of which occurred on April 19-20 of this year, orchards of apples, pears and stone fruits were partially damaged, EastFruit analysts report.
Favorable prices and low yields are marking this recent part of the strawberry season in Southern Italy. "Here in the Basilicata region, in about 40 days, the campaign will be over for many, referring to traditional cultivars like the Sabrosa-Candonga," says Maria Ferrara of the wholesale fruit and vegetable company Fe.Vi Frutta.
In the wake of recent rain and hailstorm that lashed the region on Friday, nearly 1,500 farmers in the Indri and Nilokheri blocks of the district have registered claims on the e-Kshatipurti portal, stating extensive losses to their wheat crop on approximately 7,800 acres of land.
South Africa is naturally a water-scarce country – among the 30 driest countries in the world. But, combined with unpredictable climate changes that tend towards hotter and drier conditions, diminishing water tables, and the chronic mismanagement of water systems, water availability is becoming a cause for concern across all sectors of the economy.
As a result of climate disasters, millions ofpeople inSouthern Africaface the threat of starvation.The onset of El Niño caused scorching heat waves that destroyed crops and dried up essential water sources in the region.
Ensuring food security and agricultural resilience in the face of environmental challenges depends on preserving and utilizing crop diversity, according to theCrop Trust. Genebanks serve as the ultimate guardians of this diversity. However, they are susceptible to various risks that could jeopardize their invaluable collections.
With theexpected cold weather this week, farmers are starting to monitor their crops. It isn't strawberry season yet, but farmers are starting to prepare the plants now. The freezing temperatures could impact the crops.
Researchers from the Disruptive & Sustainable Technologies for Agricultural Precision (DiSTAP) Interdisciplinary Research Group (IRG) of Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART), MIT’s research enterprise in Singapore, in collaboration with Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory (TLL) and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), have developed a cutting-edge nanosensor that allows for the real-time monitoring of salicylic a cid (SA) during the early stages of stress response.
The plants slowly choke to death, wither and dry out. They die en masse, leaves dropping and bark turning grey, creating a sea of monochrome. Since scientists first discoveredXylella fastidiosain 2013 in Puglia, Italy, it has killed a third of the region’s 60 million olive trees – which once produced almosthalf of Italy’s olive oil– many of which were centuries old.