Potential impact of heavy rain on crops like citrus and almonds

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Light showers moved done the Central Valley connected Wednesday up of a overmuch stronger storm.

Local farmers are bracing for the imaginable interaction to their citrus arsenic they harvest.

"We're chiefly disquieted astir mold and rot pathogens accumulating successful the tract connected the fruit," said Robert Willmott, tract harvest manager for the Fresno State Farm.

"So, we'll travel successful and enactment connected immoderate products to support them and get escaped of the molds and funguses that are successful there."

The Fresno State Farm has already protected its citrus but says different growers whitethorn inactive beryllium prepping.

"I'm definite for immoderate of the larger growers it's decidedly delayed their harvest and they're picking arsenic overmuch arsenic they tin contiguous with the anticipation of rainfall tomorrow," Willmott explained.

"Then astir apt won't spell backmost into that tract for different 5 days if the 2 inches of rainfall really shows up,"
This tempest comes arsenic the almond trees are starting to bloom.

Paul Betancourt of VF&B Farms has been a husbandman since 1981 and says this tempest shouldn't impact his almond blossoms, but helium is keeping a adjacent oculus for the coming weeks.

"Each idiosyncratic blossom is bully for 3 days and successful those 3 days it needs to beryllium pollinated truthful the bees request to fly, nary rain, nary dense winds, and if they're not pollinated successful their time, they're gone and you don't get them back," Betancourt said.

He adds that the country needs rainfall and is hopeful it volition beryllium beneficial.

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