Growers are concerned that frost will damage the young shoots that sprout in March when temperatures rise above 20 degrees Celsius. AP22094279753248 Chablis farmers burn candles to keep grapes warm｜Photo Credit: AP / Dazhi Image Last year (2021), French vineyards suffered a similar frost phenomenon, causing losses of about 2.4 billion US dollars. Before dawn, rows of candles flickered on the icy vines of Chablis. When the sun rises, the ice crystals shine through the vines. Some vintners have tried to warm the vines with electrical wires or spray the vines with water to prevent frost.
This water forms a thin layer of ice first, ensuring that the temperature of the vine stays near freezing, but doesn't drop too much. AP22094282509836 The sprinkler system first covers the grapes with a thin layer of ice to reduce the impact of frost｜Photo Credit: AP / Dazhi Image Beatrice Ruettimann, a spokeswoman for Swiss Fruit, a federation of fruit producers, said Swiss fruit whatsapp list farmers scrambled to protect their crops in early April, rolling out heaters and small stoves at night and at dawn, or turning on high-altitude irrigation systems. Temperatures have dropped below freezing in most of Switzerland's fruit-growing regions, she said.
In the northwestern region of Switzerland, which has been hit by a cold wave, these stone fruit (such as cherries, apricots and plums) are in the flowering stage, a critical period for fruit numbers. AP22094282354387 The vines are first sprinkled with water to form a thin layer of ice to avoid frosts｜Photo Credit: AP / Dazhi Image Last April's frost, which French officials described as "probably the biggest agricultural disaster of the early 21st century", is similar this year: a long warm period in March followed by a dramatic cooling in early April. frost.