It seems that the apricot and peach plantations survived this year’s frost waves!

By: STA Date: 2024. 04. 22. 10:00

The flowering of the fruit trees that arrived extremely early this year brought a surprising turn of events for the Hungarian peach growers. By the second half of April, flowering has almost completely ended in the country.

(Photo: Pixabay)

Ferenc Apáti, the president of FruitVeB, highlighted to the Agricultural Sector that despite the cold weather, the plantations successfully weathered the spring cold, and in the case of apricots and peaches, they reported excellent fruit set. However, the size of the fruits can still change due to the cool weather.

This year’s spring was earlier and milder than the average of the past years, which was also felt in the agricultural economy

Mild winter weather did not directly cause problems or damage, but early vegetation and flowering increased the risk of frost damage, especially to open flowers and small fruits. The frost-dangerous period lasts from March to mid-May, and there have already been two frost waves in Hungary this season. Apricots and peaches are mostly affected by local frost damage, but there are no drastic damages nationwide.

The wetter weather has been very good for the soil, which has been dry for the past two months

Cold weather, however, is of some concern, especially with night frosts that can cause significant damage during flowering. The cool weather can stay with us for 7-10 days, at the end of April, which poses additional challenges for producers. Although the current state of Hungarian peach production can be said to be favorable, risks remain, and producers can hope for favorable weather and an abundant harvest. In the next few weeks, it will become clear how the flowering and the harvest will develop, but for now there is no reason for Hungarian fruit growers to complain.

Agrárszektor