Frosts on four consecutive nights this week are playing havoc with fruit trees and field crops in the Spanish regions of Valencia and Murcia.
Night-time temperatures in the eastern region of Valencia fell as low as -4°C in some parts from February 28 to March 2 damaging blossom on stone-fruit trees.
"It is notthat this is unusually late for a frost, but what is unusual is that trees were already well advanced and in flower because of the mild winter and so the frost has burned and destroyed blossom," said José Francisco Sales, head of the insurance division of Valencia growers' association Ava-Asaja. "This has affected trees across the range of stone fruit: apricots, plums, nectarines and peaches. It is a real disaster."
There has also been damage caused to citrus trees. "It is a bit too early to say, but I am sure that in the low-lying areas production of Valencia Late will be affected," said Sales. "In another 10 days we should know more."
Sales reported that some field crops have also been affected, particularly artichoke and lettuce. "There is not a single district in the region that has not been affected to some extent by the frosts," he said.
The picture is similar further south in Murcia where trees producing the earliest varieties of apricot and peach have been affected. "Some of the trees were in full flower and although it is too early to be certain, some areas have seen 80-90 per cent of blooms affected," said Francisco Gómez of Murcia producer-exporters' association Apoexpa. "In some cases it is not just the earliest varieties that are affected, but even as far as mid-season varieties."
