Netherlands: Damage by frost in organic fruit cultivation varies strongly

From an inventory carried out by the Dutch Fruit Growers Organisation (NFO) it is apparent that the period of frost in the beginning of February this year has already caused 85 million Euro worth of damage in the whole of the fruit sector. In all of the Netherlands fruit companies suffered serious damage to both apple and pear orchards. It is high time to establish the situation with some organic fruit growers. Especially the growers in the Flevoland polder, in the north of the country, appear to have been seriously effected.

According to Rosie Damen of cultivation company H.Damen in Dronten the damage by frost in winter was never so severe in other years. She mentions that her husband Hans estimates the total harvest at about one ton, whilst last year this was 5 tons. "The damage by frost has never been as severe as now."

Wil Sturkenboom of Warmonderhofboomgaard in Dronten is sorry to say that harvest yield will only be 10% of the normal yield. "This is clearly damage by frost. The whole street here has been severely damaged." He explains why the damage to the organic cultivation is so severe. "It is really a combination of factors. The flower did not freeze because of the cold. In December and January it was so warm that the stream of juice had already started and after that was frozen in February by the winter frost. And that was disastrous, because a temperature of minus 25 degrees normally is not too cold for fruit trees." It looked as if the trees were recovering well. "Although we noticed that this went with difficulties and the bad and short flowering weather even made the drama worse."

Wil ends on a positive note. "We have plenty of red berries. Let us therefore attack the red berries en masse!"

At Levels Biofruit in Meijel, in Limburg, South Netherlands, the damage is mainly the result of night frost in spring. "The yield is probably a little less, but not too many trees were fatally struck. He mentions that at the younger parcel with apple trees (second year) there are trees which do not have sufficient leaves.

Gerard van Noord of Fruitbedrijf Katijf in Tuil, North-Brabant can mention some damage, but that is according to him mainly not so severe as in other areas. "I do not have many pear trees and these normally suffer more from frost than apple trees. That also makes a difference." Gerard irrigated just in time, so that the blossoms were protected against the night frost. "We irrigated in the night of 1 April, which colleagues did not do and as a result suffered damage."

The grower does expect less yield from the apples. "This year especially has been difficult because of scabs as a result of the wet weather. Nevertheless up to now we controlled it well. I expect the yield to be about two thirds of a normal year."

Toine Janssen, new in the organic sector, mentions that the fruit trees of Haneman Biofruit in Winssen in Gelderland were only slightly damaged. "We luckily have no trees, which will die. There are some fruit problems, but this could well be because of the night frost and the bad weather as because of the frost in winter. Before it all started we saw some dead buds and as a result I expect a somewhat smaller production."

Toine has the first harvest this season after changing. "I am really a little baby in the sector. Luckily it appears that we will get off scot-free. I expect a harvest return for the apples of between 30 and 35 tons. Of course I had hoped for more, but this is certainly not a disappointment." From colleagues I hear less optimistic stories. Therefore the grower expects his return to 'change over' to be earlier than under normal circumstances. "But surely this is not the nicest manner to achieve this."

For more information:

Hans en Rosie Damen
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Wil Sturkenboom
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Hans Levels
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Gerard van Noord
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Toine Janssen
[email protected]