Spring freezes can have a devastating effect on fruit crops when they occur during bloom. This year's freeze events were especially severe in the Winchester and Frederick County area of Virginia, where apple and peach crops were essentially wiped out.
Virginia Tech fruit crop expert Sherif Sherif explains why the conditions of this year's freeze made such a difference. “I believe the reason was not only the low temperatures we experienced, but also the duration of the freeze events and the very dry air, reflected in the unusually low dewpoints,” said Sherif. “I believe the combination of these conditions contributed to the severe damage we observed this year.”
Why is this year's freeze different?
Freeze damage has occurred every year since Sherif began at Virginia Tech in 2017, but this year marked the first time he observed an essentially 100% crop loss in the area.
“You can have temperatures around 19 degrees Fahrenheit for 1–2 hours, and the buds may survive, mainly because they are not as developed yet. In other cases, you can have 23 degrees Fahrenheit for just one hour, and that may be enough to kill 90 percent of the buds at the full-bloom stage. With no flowers alive, you simply don’t have fruit.”
What is the impact on consumers?
“Most of the pick-your-own operations in the area did not have fruit to sell this year, and the same was true for wholesale markets and many farm markets,” said Sherif, regarding commercial impact of this year's freeze. “Having said that, there are parts of the state, such as Nelson County and areas of central Virginia, that were not exposed to the same severe freeze events. To a greater extent, those areas escaped the destructive freeze damage we experienced here and were still able to set a commercial crop.”
Source : vt.edu