After the 'hot' winter comes the frost.And now there is an alarm for vegetables and fruit

Outdoor vegetable and vegetable crops are at risk due to the wave of frost

ROME – The sharp drop in temperatures with cold and frost at night they damage the cultivation of vegetables and greens outdoors in a winter that has so far been hot but the sudden temperature change inevitably also has an impact on the increase in heating costs of greenhouse production.It is the alarm launched by Coldiretti for the arrival of cyclone of freezing air with snow, rain and wind which triggered the orange bad weather alert in Tuscany and yellow in twelve other regions, from North to South.

“The arrival of the bad weather with the arctic cold therefore affects practically the entire country after a 2023 which - underlines Coldiretti - recorded a hot December with the temperature which was 1.05 degrees higher than the historical average in the first eleven months of the year according to Isac Cnr which ranks it in second place among the warmest since 1800".

“The arrival of the great cold - underlines Coldiretti - affects winter crops in the field such as cabbage, cabbage, chicory, and broccoli which can also withstand temperatures of a few degrees below zero but if the mercury column drops suddenly or if the frosts are too long, damage will occur.It's also worrying the jump in costs for heating greenhouses for the cultivation of vegetables and flowers which is affected by the surge in bills.The descent of the mercury with the frost also risks burning the flowers and buds of plants and trees, with heavy effects on the next harvests after the anomalous December heat throughout the Peninsula favored the early awakening of the earliest varieties of peaches and plums in some areas such as Tuscany.Climate change occurs with a higher frequency of extreme events, seasonal shifts, short and intense rainfall and the rapid transition from sunny to bad weather.Agriculture is the economic activity that more than any other experiences the consequences of climate change on a daily basis with the damage caused by drought and bad weather exceeding 6 billion euros in 2023".