Wed, 08 Jul, 2015 12:04:13 AM Bumper production of forest berries expected FTimes – STT Report, July 8  File Photo – Lehtikuva. An abundant berry harvest is expected this year. The Finnish Association of Fruit and Berry Growers said the beginning of summer promises an unusually bumper harvest.
According to the association’s executive director, Hannu Salo, the chilly weather will delay harvest by a couple of weeks.
“The weather influences how berries are recovered. Time will tell until when that stage is reached,” Salo said.
Heavy rains or long spell of hot weather could affect how well the berries ripe.
Hot weather could ripen berries too fast, whereas excessive rain destroys the structure of the berries.
File Photo – Lehtikuva. Similarly, the blueberry harvest also looks promising, said Kauko Salo, a senior researcher at Natural Resources Institute Finland-Luke.
Bountiful blooming and successful pollination foreshadow more abundant blueberry harvest than usual.
If weather permits, blueberry harvest is expected to be above average this year estimated at about 30 kilograms per hectare.
A week-long drought may undermine the harvest. Drought reduces the size of the berries and some could fall on the ground.
According to Salo, a heat wave means no blueberry.
Cold spell, on the other hand, delays ripening of blueberries. Blueberries can be expected to mature at the end of July and beginning of August.
Lingonberry and cloudberry also have blossomed richly.
The situation of other crops is uncertain. The chilly weather in the beginning has hampered cultivation of cereals everywhere in the country.
File Photo – Lehtikuva. Barley has been affected the most, said Max Schulman from the Central Union of Agricultural Producers and Forest Owners (MTK).
“This weather has kept farmers nervous. Growth and, depending on the area of the cereal cultivation, husking will be delayed by a week to three weeks,” said Schulman.
Schulman pointed out that harvesting of cereals will be very inconsistent and, even in the same village, may have different levels of harvest.
The chilly summer weather resulted from strong western currents which brought low pressure to the country. So far, it seems that the chilly weather is set to continue for some time.
Based on the Met Office’s long-term forecasts, a warm spell is not expected in the next few weeks.
Even though the summer seems chilly, the temperature forecast for the coming weeks is at normal levels.
The weather forecast does not seem to point to a clear deviation from the July-September average temperature.
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