At most a third of the usual volume - that is what the Agricultural Technology Center in Karlsruhe expects for the plum harvest. The reason was poor blooming weather in April. The month was simply too cold and too wet. The plums did not freeze to death, they just failed to be fertilized, Hermann Meschenmoser, orchard manager at the LTZ, told SWR radio.
In 2021, adverse weather conditions in the flowering and fertilization phase had also reduced the yields of some plum varieties. Here, the harvest volume was 50 percent below that of the previous year. By contrast, the outlook is good for mirabelles - also known as yellow plums. Overall, the plum harvest starts about a week earlier this year. Some of the Katinka, Juna and Ruth Gerstetter varieties have already been harvested. However, the main quantities are not expected until the middle of the month.
Source: www.swr.de