ESCALON, Calif. (RFD News) — As extreme heat grips much of farm country, citrus growers are warning about the impact on developing fruit.
Ryan McCoon with Cultiva says early-season heat can effect the quality of fruit produced.
“It can lead to more damage as we do see early season heat because of where that fruit is staged at. So fruit drop, sunburn, and then reduction in quality metrics are something that we should be concerned about in citrus.”
USDA data shows Florida has lost 92 percent of its citrus crop over the past 20 years due to natural disasters, disease and weather-related stress.
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