An inclement frost has reportedly damaged 1,000 tonnes of stonefruit in the Argentinean town of Río Colorado, located in one of the South American country’s leading fruit production regions, Río Negro.
The freezing temperatures are reported to have affected various stonefruit varieties, including Japanese plums and early peaches, according to a report published by Diario Río Negro.
The region has suffered a series of adverse weather conditions in recent months, the newspaper said, affecting the stonefruit crop which is primarily exported overseas and provides important revenue for local growers.
A source from Argentina’s national institute of farming and fisheries technology (INTA) told the publication that no less than seven frosts have hit the Río Negro region to date this season.
Four of those frosts were serious in nature, according to INTA, and two particularly damaging, with temperatures falling to -6 to -8oC for periods of between eight and 12 hours.
