Rains paralyzed orchard pollination, harvest losses could reach up to 40% - expert

Sudden precipitation and temperature drop have paralyzed natural pollination in Ukrainian orchards, so fruit tree harvest losses could reach 40%. Taras Bashtannyk, head of the Ukrainian Fruit and Vegetable Association, said this on the air of Novyny.Live, reports UNN. 

There are negative forecasts that it could be even colder. But the arrival of winter and precipitation is a minus in terms of pollination, because in such weather natural pollinators like bees and bumblebees definitely won't fly. And this is a problem that affects the harvest. It can be stated that the lack of pollination could lead to harvest losses of 25%, 30%, 40% 

According to him, the situation remains unstable in many regions. For example, in Kharkiv Oblast, they are monitoring thermometer readings. If the forecasts for the beginning of next week come true and the nighttime temperature drops to -5°C or even -7°C, the percentage of lost fruits could become significantly higher.

Reminder 

In Ukraine, in a number of regions a week before the start of May, winter decided to return.  

April frosts, which have covered Ukraine in recent days, have already affected the future stone fruit harvest. Fruit trees in Volyn, Rivne, Khmelnytskyi, Vinnytsia, Cherkasy, Poltava, Zakarpattia, Odesa, Mykolaiv, and Kherson oblasts are under threat. Because currently the morning air temperature there holds within 0-5 degrees.