Winter in Florida has been unseasonably cold with three different cold fronts threatening citrus crops in the centre of the state.
“Grapefruit has come through relatively unscathed,” reported Doug Bournique of the Indian River Citrus League.
“Growers have been flooding their groves which can help lift temperatures by between 2°F and 4°F. There has been some damage to fruit on very young trees as they are smaller and also to the outermost fruit on larger trees.”
Officials from the league were due to fly out over groves to assess damage on 5 January, but early estimates indicated some 95 per cent of the remaining crop is undamaged.
