Intense cold and July frosts caused losses of up to 8% in vegetable and fruit production in SC, Brazil

The intense cold and the incidence of frost in Santa Catarina in the last month caused punctual losses in the cultivation of vegetables and fruits. According to the Agricultural Research and Rural Extension Company of Santa Catarina (Epagri), damage to production was between 5% and 8%. With -8.6°C on the morning of July 29, the state even registered the lowest temperature in Brazil in 2021. The most affected vegetables were tomatoes, peppers and new seedlings of broccoli, cabbage, parsley, cauliflower and lettuce. For the fruit sector, the biggest losses were in bananas, by burning leaves, and flowering peach trees. These species, according to the organ, are the most sensitive to cold. In the same month, the state broke records in terms of negative temperature, frost and snow. The strongest polar air mass of winter 2021 was recorded in late July. For September, Epagri guides producers' attention in relation to time. “The losses happened precisely in species sensitive to cold, ...