Elevate your local knowledge

Sign up for the iNFOnews newsletter today!

Select Region

Selecting your primary region ensures you get the stories that matter to you first.

California citrus survives cold temperatures with minimal damage, growers say

EXETER, Calif. – Citrus growers in California’s San Joaquin Valley say their crops survived the freezing temperatures of the last three days.

California Citrus Mutual President Joel Nelsen said Friday that citrus growers put in place frost-protection measures for eight to 10 hours each night Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and that damage appears to be minimal. Growers sprayed water in their mandarin orange, navel orange and lemon groves and turned on wind machines to protect their crops.

Nelson says potentially damaging cold temperatures lasted short periods of time, and that prevented widespread damage.

Citrus is grown on more than 200,000 acres in the San Joaquin Valley and 75 per cent of the crop is still on the trees.

The last critical freeze for the industry was December 2013.

News from © The Associated Press, . All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Join the Conversation!

Want to share your thoughts, add context, or connect with others in your community?

Create a free account

The Associated Press

The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business. More than half the world’s population sees AP journalism every day.

Related Articles