+33 680 38 14 46
Early frost hits Queensland crops
Australia
Thursday 03 April 2008
Early frost in a key Southern Queensland horticulture area has seen widespread damage to crops.
Clear skies and dry ground are being blamed for the freezing temperatures, that were largely unexpected.
Stanthorpe grower Chris Wren says it's the earliest frost in his lifetime, and he'll have to wait until the end of the season to calculate the financial loss.
He says neighbours had frosted zucchini and his capsicum crop was the worst affected.
"Any of the lower blocks that run down towards the creek, they're burnt pretty substantially and any fruit in the tops of the vines is frosted," he says.
"Thankfully all the mature fruit is okay, it'll just mean that we'll only be able to harvest that mature fruit, the vine will basically stop growing now."
Clear skies and dry ground are being blamed for the freezing temperatures, that were largely unexpected.
Stanthorpe grower Chris Wren says it's the earliest frost in his lifetime, and he'll have to wait until the end of the season to calculate the financial loss.
He says neighbours had frosted zucchini and his capsicum crop was the worst affected.
"Any of the lower blocks that run down towards the creek, they're burnt pretty substantially and any fruit in the tops of the vines is frosted," he says.
"Thankfully all the mature fruit is okay, it'll just mean that we'll only be able to harvest that mature fruit, the vine will basically stop growing now."
