Calmness, patience, optimism, and avoiding hasty assessments are advised by the Technical Director of Jingold Greece, Mr. Athanasios Pisalidis, regarding the effects of the recent frost on Greek kiwi crops: "Over the past few days, I have received countless phone calls, photos, and videos from desperate kiwifruit growers affected by the frost, seeking guidance and assistance in dealing with the issue in their orchards. However, there is a huge variation from region to region and from orchard to orchard. At this moment, no one can accurately estimate the extent of the damage, and wherever you hear damage percentages, you should be highly skeptical."
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As Mr. Pisalidis explains, "These days, I have visited dozens of orchards in Pieria, Imathia, Pella, and Kavala, and the situation remains unclear even in neighboring orchards within the same area. The presence of 'burned' small, newly emerging shoots is the obvious damage, but the problem does not end there, and we must also consider the potential future consequences of the frost."
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Some of the possible consequences, according to Mr. Pisalidis, include:
- Buds that are still in their fuzzy stage may remain fuzzy.
- Buds that have not yet opened may never open.
- Buds may produce a small, stunted shoot of about 5 cm, which will bear flower buds, but problematic ones. The fruits from these shoots will be small, regardless of later thinning.
- Fruitless shoots.
- Irregular shoot development among buds on the same cane (significant unevenness).
- Irregular and prolonged flowering.
- Lack of synchronization between male and female flowers due to different vegetative stages at the time of the frost.
- Small fruit size, regardless of cultivation practices and plant protection treatments, due to damage to part of the floral primordia.
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"What I want to emphasize is that panic and doom-mongering should not take over among affected growers ('everything is lost,' 'I have 100% damage,' 'the trees will dry out,' etc.). The phenomenon is still unfolding, and no one can say for certain how it will end. In the next 15 days, we will have a clearer picture and be able to provide more information. In fact, this week's rainfall may even be beneficial for those cases where the frost did not cause destruction but only shocked the plants," the Technical Director of Jingold Greece concludes.
For more information:
Athanasios Pisalidis
Jingold Greece
Tel: +30 695 721 1175
Email: a.pisalidis@jingold.gr
https://jingold.gr/