Abnormally warm temperatures have been observed and temperature records have been set in Ukraine in December and early January. But after the abnormal warming, it became cold again. The consequences of such temperature swings may have a negative impact on the future harvest of crops and fruit trees.
In the first days of January, it was above +10°C almost throughout the country, and the average daily temperature in Kyiv was the same as in April. Meanwhile, buds on the trees began to bloom in Odesa.
Valentyna Lanovenko, the owner of the “Nursery of Lanovenko” enterprise, in a commentary for AgroPortal.ua, notes: “Winter warming has a negative effect on trees since high temperatures give a signal to bloom”.
Thus, vegetation begins, bud breaks, and with the advent of frost, these trees will be damaged. The most vulnerable stone fruit trees are peaches, cherries, and plums.
The owner of a private estate from the village of Sad in the Sumy region, Mykola Bondarenko, is convinced that this will not affect the plants: “Although the winter is warm, there were no big stimulations for the blooming of fruit and berry trees, and they will not suffer during frosts.”
Read also: Ukraine: agricultural land market opening allowed to intensify the development of horticulture
It is not the first time experienced growers face such phenomena, therefore, they have a number of recommendations on how to avoid freezing.
“First of all, trees must be healthy (timely treatment for diseases and pests, whitewashing of trunks, sufficient watering, etc.). You can also use drugs that protect buttons from early blooming during this period. If the temperature drops below 0° C during flowering, you should constantly sprinkle trunks and flowers. This technology is widely used in Poland. There are also machines that move along the aisles and create the effect of warm air (like fans), which also prevents freezing. Bonfires in the aisles of the orchard during frosty nights are another option,” Valentyna Lanovenko advises.
The use of the site materials is free if there is a direct and open for search engines hyperlink to a specific publication of the East-Fruit.com website.
