The Federation of Agricultural Cooperatives of the Region of Murcia (Fecoam), is taking part in a new operative group, in charge of analysing the stonefruit sector's adaptation to climate change.
The project is being carried out in the framework of the National Rural Development Program of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food and Environment and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD). Other bodies are also involved, including the Centre for Edaphology and Applied Biology of the Segura (Cebas-CSIC), the Murcian Institute for Agro-Food Research (Imida), the Cajamar Foundation, the Foundation University Enterprise of the Region of Murcia (FUERM) or the Valencian Cooperative Anecoop.
The main objective of the program is the design, development and testing of alternative cultivation techniques that may facilitate the adaptation of fruit crops to the problems caused by the consequences of climate change and the rising temperatures.
The multiple effects of climate change are drastically affecting the Mediterranean agricultural system and, especially, permanent crops such as fruit trees, jeopardising their viability. The sector's professionals affected by this situation lack the necessary information to adapt their activities to the new environmental conditions.
Thus, the operative group will analyse all elements of the agro-food chain, including the production and varietal diversity of apricots, cherries, plums, peaches, nectarines and paraguayos, as well as the conditions in the areas where they are grown, including the flowering cycles and the effects of the shortage of water resources.
After the analysis, methods and tools will be developed so that companies and producers can adapt to the new situation, gaining also access to a simple and free electronic help platform. The project also aims to design efficient and sustainable farming systems and practices.
The fact is that the rising temperatures have direct consequences on the production, such as delays in the accumulation of cold, which results in a shortening of the ripening cycle in the early varieties that can adversely affect the calibre and quality of the fruit, as well as delays in the maturation date, which reduces the economic profitability of these varieties.
Likewise, the abnormally high temperatures in winter, once the cold needs are met, can lead to an advance of the flowering dates, increasing the risk of frost and taking a toll on the fruit setting.
To these problems we must add the impact of the reduced availability of water for irrigation due to the lack of rainfall and the increase of evaporation, as well as the appearance and spread of new pests and the disappearance of pollinating insects.
Source: Europa Press
