“I have never felt so exhausted, I have not slept since Friday,” explains Anthony Oboussier, producer of peaches, apricots, nectarines and cherries in the Drôme department, after 3 nights of relentless fighting against the frost.
“We spend the night running around the orchards to light up the candles as quickly as possible and try to limit the impact of the frost. We are going through an unprecedented situation. My father and I have never experienced such long periods with negative temperatures this early in the season.”
A situation that is all more dramatic because it is just the beginning of this risky period. “We are currently using all our protection means although officially, we must have enough for another month. Having to protect during flowering is very rare. Normally, it does not happen before the small fruit stage. The earlier we need to protect our orchards, the less efficient we will be later on.”
Among the 20 hectares of stone fruit orchards cultivated by EARL Les Chambres, the apricots are the most affected at the moment. “75% of the apricot trees are in full bloom. As soon as the temperatures go below -3°C, the flowers freeze. And since Friday, the temperatures have gone down to -6/-7°C. Last night, we were able to keep the orchards at -4.5°C, and we can already see the damage on the production, without being able to quantify it yet. As the season progresses, the critical temperature threshold will rise. We will reach the small fruit stage in 2 to 3 weeks. We will then have to protect the orchards as soon as the temperature reaches -1°C.”
The temperatures are increasing slightly, but we will have to remain vigilant tonight with the -2°C to -4°C predicted. “We must stay alert to the risk of frost tonight.” Let us hope Mother Nature will be more kind for the remainder of the season.
For more information:
Anthony Oboussier
Esprit Fruité
EARL Les Chambres