Sharp temperature fluctuations and night frosts in the Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, and Donetsk regions have put the harvest of apricots, cherries, and peaches at risk. This was reported by Serhiy Korniushenko, the development manager of agrotechnologies in the Southern region of LNZ Group, as written by Zemliak.com.
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According to him, due to the cold weather during the mass flowering period, bees did not fly out for pollination, and night temperature drops to -3°C in some places damaged the flowers.
Serhiy Korniushenko specified that the weather in recent weeks has been extremely unstable. Daytime temperatures reached +15…+20°C, while at night the thermometer readings dropped below zero. This temperature regime coincided with the phase of active flowering of early stone fruit crops.
“The situation is such that the sudden cold and fluctuations practically ‘hit’ all the flowering – apricots and cherries suffered the most. When peaches started to bloom, bees did not fly due to low temperatures, so normal pollination did not occur,” noted Serhiy Korniushenko.
The biggest losses are currently expected for early varieties of fruit trees. At the same time, regarding medium and late varieties, the expert maintains cautious optimism – they have a chance to “get through” the frost phase, which will ensure normal pollination provided the weather stabilizes.
“However, the overall picture in the region remains complex, as uneven pollination and thermal stress on plants significantly reduce the potential yield of orchards in 2026,” summarized Serhiy Korniushenko.