This winter's weather conditions have significantly affected agricultural production in general. The fruits have ripened before time and the harvest season has started before time because of the mild temperatures and low rainfall. Estimates are that the fruit harvest in Huelva started about a month before it usually begins, a period that might be higher or lower depending on the area where the productive farms are located.
Huelva's citrus sector has some concerns about the impact that the weather conditions can have on trees, as they need complete cycles to fully recover and bear fruits again.
According to technicians, assessing the impact that this peculiar winter will have on citrus crops in the medium and long term will take a while. Fernando Savia Peña, an agricultural engineer with an extensive experience in the province of Huelva, said this winter had been the warmest one in the last 30 years, which affected the trees.
Citrus trees need the cold winter temperatures to stop their sap and enter a needed hibernation state to recover and be better when the temperatures increase so they can cope with new loads of fruit.
"This year's temperatures have been very mild, which will influence the trees' development, but we still do not know how it will affect them," said Fernando Savia. The problem is that the appropriate weather conditions are critical to avoid stress on the trees, which weakens the plant that will have to make a major effort to get better, said the agricultural expert.
Source: agrodiariohuelva.es