snow
Apricots are for more than 95 percent, if not all completely dead, in the Danube Plain region. Some places have survived here and there, but if it freezes after the snow, they will also die," Nikolay Kolev of the Union of Danube Fruit Growers from Agrozona. Some varieties of peaches and nectarines in the north-east of the country are currently blooming or have already finished flowering, he also reports. Freezing temperatures are also critical to them. Cherries and plums are next in line. They are in the bud phase, they should not be damaged, but it depends on how much the temperatures will drop. The snow itself is not dangerous, but it is the negative temperatures that come after that is," says the fruit grower.

Apricots cover about 8-9 thousand decares of a total of more than 28 thousand decares plantings within the Union of Danube Fruit Growers. Then comes about 3-4 thousand decares peaches, of which if the forecasts come true and temperatures drop, much of this fruit will die as well. "Unfortunately it will be a zero yield year for some fruits," says Nikolay Kolev.



"The last few winters have been very warm. The fruit trees cannot remain in winter dormancy for much long. The juice movement starts early, development starts early, and subsequent cold, as happened for the third consecutive year, completely destroys the harvest."

According to him, growers cannot react in any way to the changing conditions, even with the old smoking methods. "This smoke method would be able to help when it reaches 1 degree below zero, but not lower than that," according to Kolev. Forecasts say temperatures are expected to drop to 1-2 degrees below zero over the next two nights, which will be critical for planting.

Source: Agri.bg / Agroberichten Buitenland