BAD WEATHER
- THE LACK OF LIGHT
This is a
common situation in the spring that is not necessarily rain.
The lack of
light is just due to a low cloud ceiling, these days without sun, either generally
without rain, of undefined weather. It's not good weather, but it's not really
bad weather.
Temperatures
are usually rather sweet, without night coolness or daytime heat stroke.
It can be a
bit depressing. It is possible that I tell you this, because I live in a sunny
area, where clouds and rain often seem incongruous.
The plant
has a slower photosynthesis. In fact, depending on the period in which this
lack of light occurs, the effects are different. Regarding me, and this year,
it happened right on the ripening period of the fruits of the earliest
varieties.
This slow
photosynthesis does not allow the plant to ensure everything, both its own
needs and the needs of the fruit.
Besides, if
you look at the tree, you will usually see it yellowish, slightly chlorotic.
One might think that this is an iron deficiency. But this symptom disappears
after a few days of sunshine.
This
bad-defined weather, characterized by the lack of light, in ripening period,
can cause various problems:
The lack of
sugar and aromas, so a tasteless, disappointing fruit,
The
lack of color, so the loss of visual appeal (so important for sale https://culturagriculture.blogspot.com.es/2015/12/61-quality-2-appearance.html
), often accompanied by a great challenge for the farmer and the picker to
select on the tree, all fruits that must be collected, and let those who have
to wait.
Susceptibility
to fungal diseases, so large skin defects, and increased risk of rot in
conservation.
Accelerated
and premature maturity of fruits, just a few days before the date,
unattractive, with an imperfect form, and with a flesh that does not reach its
ideal texture.
In fact the
tree, which "knows" that it cannot run out the task if the sun does
not come back quickly, anticipates ripening to get rid of fruit. It is a
measure of survival, while the plant knows that the seed is sufficiently
mature, for the continuation of the species is ensured.
However, the
fruit should not reach full maturation? Is the purpose of the plant is not to
reach the ripening fruit?
Basically,
what is a fruit? That's another issue I will give you my opinion in a future
article.
A few days
after sun is back, gradually everything returns to normal. In fact what makes
the quality of fruit, flavors, sugar, texture, juiciness, crisp, is acquired in
the last days before physiological maturity. Thus the improvement of weather,
results after a few days in a clear quality improvement.
Similarly, a
degradation of the weather results in a few days in a degradation of quality.
But
those days of bad weather, which will ultimately had little impact on the tree,
will have serious economic consequences for the farmer whose harvest will not
live up to his expectations and especially his trade commitments. Sale prices
will suffer, and the fruit classification results too.
In this
series, which is far from over, I just want you to record one thing:
Agriculture
is a feed mill and open pit raw materials, without roof (except the
greenhouses, of course), in which the unexpected are numerous and regular.
Ensure
standardized quality in these conditions is extremely difficult.
The farmer
does everything possible, for its product meet the standards, and set
increasingly by supermarkets, on criteria that have nothing to do with the
agricultural requirements.
Marketing
and standardization require farmer’s work that goes against the very nature of
agriculture.
You,
consumers are the only ones that can evolve the food market to a little more
consistency.
In my
article "Food cosmetics" https://culturagriculture.blogspot.com.es/2015/01/37-food-cosmetics.html
, I told you that 50% of pre-harvest pesticides are applied for cosmetics
purposes.
Is it
tolerable?