Australian growers have weighed up the pros and cons of the current third successive La Nina event set to bring more rainfall to eastern Australia. The rare third successive event was announced by the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) earlier this week, with meteorologists saying the event is expected to peak in spring before slowing down in early 2023.
While this year's La Nina event is expected to be weaker than previous years, growers are still concerned about the impacts three successive wet summers can have on their crops. Griffith Citrus Growers president Vito Mancini said citrus fruits grow better in dryer conditions, with wet conditions generally leading to smaller, fungus-prone fruits.
Mancini: "It's not a shock, but it's going to be hard for us. Citrus likes arid conditions, but we now need to figure out how to run our orchards more like a tropical area. La Nina increases cloud cover, and we need photosynthesis to get the fruit sweet and large. This year we're 10 or 15 mm down in fruit size. That affects how much fruit can go to the premium markets.”
Source: irrigator.com.au