The frost in Poland is an ongoing risk for Polish apple production, says Karol Osior, export manager for Polish apple exporter Fruit Active Sp. z o.o.: "The temperature has recently posed a serious threat to apple trees. However, this is not new at this time of year. Such situations and local frosts have occurred regularly in previous years. It's a bit too early to talk about possible consequences because the frost period is still ongoing. Fortunately, in our region, they were not as severe as expected, based on some weather forecasts."
© Fruit Active Sp. z o.o.
The worry comes mostly from having experienced a difficult season at the moment, where there were a lot of losses and hardships surrounding the quality of the apples, Osior explains. "All producers are concerned about the upcoming season. This is mainly due to the scale of losses in the current season, which in some regions of Poland amounted to over 80%. Frosts have a negative impact not only on the apple yield but also on the quality of fruit harvested in autumn. This includes frost damage in the form of, for example, skin defects."
© Fruit Active Sp. z o.o.
Osior emphasizes that apple growers are doing what they can to protect their orchards from extreme weather conditions: "Anti-frost systems have been used in Poland for many years. One of the most popular is the plant sprinkler system. Depending on the technology used, it may involve sprinkling water over the treetops or generating a fine water mist. Another popular method used in Poland is heating orchards using special heaters or even using smoke from small bonfires located in different areas of the orchard."
"According to weather forecasts, the coming days will bring significant warming, which makes us optimistic," Osior concludes.
For more information:
Karol Osior
Fruit Active Sp. z o.o.
Tel: + 48 783 431 678
karol.osior@fruitactive.pl
www.fruitactive.pl