Tropical fruits such as banana, avocado, loquat, mango, papaya, pitaya (dragon fruit) are adversely affected by the air temperature that rises above seasonal norms from time to time.

Farmers in the district, where a significant part of tropical fruit production is made, are trying to keep their trees and products protected from the heat by increasing the number of irrigation, applying “shade dust” and “top cover” to greenhouses and supporting plants with clay and calcium.

Tahir Göktepe, Head of Alanya Chamber of Agriculture, told AA correspondent that the heat, which is called “The heat of the century”, reduced the humidity rate to 10-15 percent, which damaged tropical fruit greenhouses and gardens.

Explaining that tropical fruits grown in open areas are more affected by the heat, Göktepe said “Hot weather causes a serious loss in production, especially because it coincides with the fruition period of avocado. Currently, this hot weather has damaged some avocado gardens. Half of the crop pours spontaneously from the trees to the ground.”

Expressing that they warned the producers about this issue, Göktepe stated that the damage caused by the temperatures can be minimised with the measures to be taken.

Göktepe emphasised that the precautions can be taken more easily in greenhouses and said “Avocados grown in the open field should be irrigated every two days. Clay should be applied to reduce the burning on the leaves and fruit and to prevent the shedding of the fruit even a little bit. We also recommend calcium application to plants from time to time. This prevents the fruit from falling and ensures better quality.”

 

We can prevent 30 percent loss in production with applications

Pointing out that the humidity rate should be kept high in greenhouses, Göktepe stated that various systems should be applied for this.

Pointing out that drip and sprinkler irrigation methods should be used together in greenhouses to reduce the effect of heat, Göktepe continued as follows:

“We also ensure that the sun's rays enter the greenhouse less with the lime application we call ‘shadow dust’. In this application, liquid lime is sprayed on the greenhouse nylon from the outside. Thus, the greenhouse nylon is completely covered with white lime. In addition, we can also reduce the effect of heat with greenhouse top covers. In addition to all these, we can also apply clay and calcium application applied to the gardens in the open field to the product in the greenhouse. With these applications, we can prevent 30 percent loss in production.”

Stating that these applications will contribute to the producers and the country's economy, Göktepe said that they are ready to help farmers in every matter.

Göktepe noted that 12 thousand decares of banana, 2 thousand decares of mango, 3 thousand decares of pitaya and 1500 decares of papaya are produced under cover in the district.

 

Fruits turn dark and fall off before ripening

Tropical fruit producer Bilal Öztürk said that the hottest summer in recent years negatively affected the avocado garden he established five years ago.

Öztürk said “The fruits turn dark and fall off before they ripen. We are trying to overcome this process by using leaf protection pesticides and watering more frequently in these very warm days.”

Producer Arif Akay, on the other hand, stated that they set up cooling sprinklers for dry weather and throw “shade dust” on greenhouse nylon.

Explaining that he surrounded the avocados in the open with “shading tulle” and threw “shade dust” on their leaves, Akay said “We used to not irrigate so much before. Since the air temperatures have been blowing in recent days, it dries the inside of the greenhouse. So we cool the inside with the help of sprinklers and drip irrigation system. These reduce the temperature. With these applications, we can lower the temperature inside the greenhouse up to 15-20 degrees.”