Main points
- April in Ukraine was cold, which led to a delay in the development of agricultural crops for one and a half to two weeks.
- Frosts hit fruit trees particularly hard, and the lack of rainfall made it difficult to plant late crops.
How frosts affected the agricultural sector / Photo Pixabay
April in Ukraine was marked by cold weather and frosts, which affected the development of agricultural crops. Fruit trees were the most affected, while winter crops remained relatively stable.
Cold spring slowed down crop development
During April, average daily temperatures in Ukraine mostly remained below the climatic norm, the Ukrhydrometeorological Center reported. A steady transition of air temperature through 10 degrees Celsius did not occur at the end of the month, which caused a lag in seasonal development by about one and a half to two weeks.
Due to insufficient heat accumulation, the growth and development of most agricultural crops slowed down somewhat. At the same time, farmers did not record a critical lag behind the average long-term indicators in the phases of plant development.
Winter crops were in relatively favorable conditions for rooting and spring vegetation. Sowings of early spring crops in most regions reached the mass germination phase, indicating a generally stable situation in this segment.
Frosts hit the gardens and complicated sowing
The cold weather had the most negative impact on fruit crops. Intense and prolonged frosts caused damage to flowers, causing them to turn black and fall off in crops such as apricot, peach, sweet cherry, pear and cherry.
An additional challenge for farmers was the lack of precipitation in a number of regions. At the end of April, the upper layers of the soil remained slightly moist or even dry in places, which complicated the preparation for sowing late crops and negatively affected seed germination.
At the same time, the situation was partially restrained by the fact that the temperature regime remained moderate throughout the spring. Thanks to this, the reserves of productive moisture, especially in the deeper layers of the soil, were maintained at a sufficient level, which allows avoiding the sharp development of drought.
Frosts threaten fruit: what awaits the peach and apricot harvest?
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Spring frosts in Ukraine have threatened the stone fruit harvest, but final forecasts about the state of the harvest will only be possible in the second half of May.
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Fruit prices will rise due to increased costs of material and energy resources, not just due to crop losses from frost.
This year, the price of fruits and berries will be what the average consumer will be able to pay, given the expected increase in tariffs for gas, electricity, hot and cold water supply, housing and utility services, and more.