According to Coldiretti, this Spring there's a delay in new growths and in blossoming of the main Summer fruit plants. Despite this, it's quite probable that, as soon as temperatures rise, all fruit species will restart their activity.
According to the technicians, there is a 10-15 day delay in the Emilia-Romagna region for apricot, cherry and peach trees. As the season progresses though, they might be able to recuperate so much as to postpone harvesting only by 5-7 days.
In Emilia-Romagna, Aurora will be the first apricot variety to be harvested between the end of May and the first week of June.
In the South, and especially in Basilicata, the delay is only of about a week however, last Sunday, early apricots and nectarines have been damaged by freeze (-3° C) in the Policoro and Montalbano Jonico areas of Matera province.
As regards really early cultivars, Ninfa is the most popular in Basilicata, as it's also suitable for cultivations in tunnels. In fact, this variety is harvested at the beginning of May for forced crops and during the whole month for open fields.
