Growers in New Zealand are waiting to see the effects of frost that has descended on their orchards, threatening next year’s production.
Temperatures dropped below zero and kiwifruit growers have been working 24-hour days to protect their crops from frost as the cold snap tightened its grip on the Western Bay of Plenty.
Ground temperatures plunged as low as -2°C overnight and with no wind, many inland areas experienced frosts that kiwifruit growers described as particularly nasty.
Grower Murray McBride told local media that he had three wind machines and all of his overhead sprinklers going from 8pm to 8.30am to fight the frost, on Tuesday night.
"It was a pretty hard one. We had everything going flat-out to try and manage but in the end it was all good." Sprinklers sprayed 30,000 litres of water per hectare every hour to help to reduce the risk of buds snapping.
However, McBride remains confident growers would get through the rest of the week without major losses. "We've had three consecutive very cold springs and up until now it has been unusually warm. Most growers will be able to manage."
Kiwifruit growers around the Nelson region also face a nervous wait to see what damage two days of heavy frosts has caused to their newly budding crops.
Mainland Kiwi chairman Rod Fry said any grower without frost protection is likely to be "90 per cent wiped out" by the the -5 to -6°C frosts. It will take between two and five days before the extent of the damage could be established, he said.
Pipfruit New Zealand chairman Ian Palmer said he expects minimal damage to the region's apple crop from the frosts. The cold snap would slow down and spread out crop growth.
"Generally the longer the flowering period, the longer the harvest. This makes it more difficult to manage the harvest and more difficult to get the timing of chemical thinning right," he said.
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