Now that the weather has started to cool down from the record-setting scorching heat last week, stock is being taken of the damage to area crops.
While initial damage estimates to the cherry crop in the Okanagan reached as high as 70%, the president of the B.C. Cherry Association says it was likely not that high.
Sukhpaul Bal, a Kelowna-area cherry orchardist, who estimated the total damage at about 10% of the entire crop, said while he did not want to downplay damage done to any particular farm impacted by the 40-plus C heat last week, it appears severe damage occurred in isolated incidents reports www.pentictonherald.ca
He said in many cases cherries that were not exposed directly to the heat, those with plenty of leaf coverage and not the early varieties may have fared better.
Earlier this week the president of the B.C. Fruit Growers’ Association estimated between 50% and 70% of cherry crops were damaged in the heat wave.
With evening temperatures remaining high during the heatwave, there was no cooling respite for the fruit on the trees and so it could not recover.
Following a very small cherry crop in the Okanagan last year, which was harshly affected by a frigid cold snap in January, cherry growers were looking at what some felt may have been a record crop this year. But that was before the heat damage. Last year some cherry orchards had 95% of their crop wiped out by the cold weather. Bal said his farm was left with just 15% of its crop. So this year was being looked at with some optimism.
Despite the heat damage, Bal still expects a sizeable crop this year and after checking the damage in his own orchard said he is optimistic. The unexpected heat wave has prompted the cherry association to start looking at ways to mitigate heat damage to orchards in the future.