In Europe, this year's blueberry supply is way down. "It's a 'perfect storm,'" says Harro van Dam of Carsol Europe in the Netherlands. "The Chilean season ended earlier than usual, while cultivation in Morocco, Portugal, and Spain are far behind due to cold.
The green asparagus campaign is starting slowly in Granada, with limited volumes due to the delay in the harvest caused by the low temperatures recorded since mid-January. The drought in the vegetable's largest producing area is the sector's main concern at the moment
“We’re about 20 days ahead this year compared to last year which was quite a normal year. So we’re pretty much on the backside of the blooms now--the ground is warm and there’ve been some warm rains so there’s no stopping them,” says Ken Chappell of Chappell Peaches in Eagle Springs, North Carolina.
With moderate to widespread rainfall over central, eastern and southern parts of India from March 13 to 18 under the influence of an active western disturbance and associated induced cyclonic circulation, meteorologists on Saturday predicted onset of pre-monsoon activities that may lead to crop damage.
This year's Spanish strawberry season is undoubtedly unusual. "By now, we could write a thick book about it," says Filipe Ravazzini da Silva of Wilkofruit in the Netherlands. "This year's season has been highly erratic.
Rain and hailstorm continued for four-five days in several places, including Dhule, Jalgaon, Ahmednagar and Nashik. With “panchanamas” still underway, the crop loss figure could increase further, an official said.
All might look quiet on the agricultural front, but in the war between weeds and crops, weeds are winning.A new theory developed by University of Guelph researcher Clarence Swanton, suggestsweeds can alter crop plant growth by affecting light signals used by crop plantsto communicate.
Grape and other fruit growers whose crops were affected by the extreme cold weather in February will soon receive additional support to help them recover as Agriculture Minister Greg Morrow has announced $15 million in funding.
"In the cold spell before Christmas a lot crops were destroyed, but some like carrots and leeks the damage was done during the drought in the summer and volumes are down around 30%."
Unseasonal rains are likely to come up for central and southern parts of the country during next week. Scale and intensity of weather is likely to cause extensive damage to the standing crops over many parts of the country.
This week the World Meteorological Organization awarded tropical cyclone Freddy, with its "incredible and dangerous journey" that has been zigzagging between Madagascar and Mozambique for weeks now, the record for the longest-lasting tropical storm on record.
Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corp. has made a substantive change in how it calculates premiums for its multi-peril program. As producers see their coverage and premium information, there are many questions and some glaring inequities.
With summer setting in earlier than usual, temperatures well above the normal are being recorded. Meteorologists have predicted warmer days ahead, with a high probability of heat waves could apart from causing health issues also result in crop damage.
Since rice is one of the most important crops in the world, constituting the primary food source for more than half of the Earth’s population, protecting rice plantations from disease such as bacterial blight (BB) – an infection caused by the bacteriumXanthomonas oryzaethat leads to losses of hundreds of millions of dollars each year – is essential in modern agriculture.
Heavy rain and hailstorm damaged crops in 18 districts of central and western Madhya Pradesh this week. Unseasonal rain, accompanied by strong winds, hit the state on Monday and is predicted over the next few days too.
Insect pests that attack crops have extraordinary powers to develop resistance to greener pesticides, and a new way to manage resistance risks is needed, according to an analysis by the University of Stirling academics.