False spring in Turkey: Food prices may increase

Published Feb 27, 2024

Tridge summary

Above-average temperatures in Türkiye have caused trees, especially plum trees, to bloom prematurely, creating a 'false spring'. Prof. Dr. Doğanay Tolunay from Istanbul University warns that this could negatively affect agriculture and potentially lead to increased food prices. He explains that plants require a winter cooling period, with temperatures between 0 and 7 degrees, to prepare for spring and yield more fruit. If this cooling period is not met, fruit production could decrease, resulting in higher food prices. Plum and almond trees, which bloom the earliest, have already experienced price increases.

Disclaimer:The above summary was generated by Tridge's proprietary AI model for informational purposes.

Original content

The fact that temperatures across Türkiye are above seasonal norms also affected trees and plants. Due to the heat experienced in Istanbul, some trees, especially plum trees, bloomed. Trees that were expected to bloom from mid-March were deceived by the 'false spring'. Istanbul University Cerrahpaşa Faculty of Forestry, Head of Soil Science and Ecology Department, Prof. Dr. Doğanay Tolunay emphasized that early flowering trees may also affect agriculture and cause an increase in food prices. Tolunay said, "In terms of plants, when they will hibernate, when the buds will burst, and when they will bloom are all related to temperatures. If the average temperatures rise to around 5-7 degrees for bushes and 8-10 degrees for trees for about a month, they will bloom, thinking that spring has come. 10, 15 years ago, it would bloom around March 15th or March 20th. Plum trees would bloom first, then other plants would come. We now see that the flowering period of plants and trees has ...

Source: Haber7