Red Sleeve tomatoes in greenhouse burn wood to keep out the cold, struggling through winter
Original headline: Agricultural experts visit the base to give guidance
Wood burned inside the greenhouse to help the cherry tomatoes keep out the cold
Fruit and vegetable base workers remove dead branches and rotten leaves under the guidance of county agricultural technicians.
Persistent rainy, humid and cold wave weather has severely affected the "Red Sleeve" cherry tomatoes at the fruit and vegetable base of Lvgongfang Agricultural Company in Anxia Village, Qibu Town, Luoyuan County. The day before yesterday, reporters saw inside the base's smart greenhouse that the 12 mu of cherry tomatoes had been "frozen" beyond recognition, with many leaves turned black-brown and rotting, and some plants' branches and leaves completely withered. That day, base workers, under the guidance of county agricultural technicians, "rescued" the barely alive cherry tomato plants on the iron frames, pruning away rotten branches and withered leaves to protect them from further infection.
"Red Sleeve" is the flagship brand of the Luoyuan Lvgongfang fruit and vegetable base; its firm flesh is a brilliant red, and its sweetness is twice that of ordinary tomatoes. "But this variety is most afraid of extreme cold and humid weather; once the temperature drops below 10°C, it is prone to disease," said Zheng Xuchun, general manager of Lvgongfang Agricultural Company. "There are about 16,000 of these cherry tomato plants. At a loss of 2.5 kg per plant and 40 yuan per kg, the base will lose 1.6 million yuan, and that does not even include the losses affecting the next growing period."
The persistent rainy weather and cold wave have infected most of the base's tomato plants with late blight. "Thanks to the timely help of provincial agricultural science experts and county agricultural technicians, who guided us on proper medication, the late blight is now effectively under control," said Lian Yongle, the base manager. According to the experts, if measures are taken properly and the plants survive this spell of low-temperature weather, in half a month these tomato plants still have hope of growing new shoots.
Right now, the most important thing is "raising the temperature" to protect against the cold. "The day before yesterday, agricultural technicians from the county agriculture bureau came to the base to guide us in responding to the severe cold wave. We tried physically heating the smart greenhouse by burning wood, and the room temperature rose from 4°C to above 13°C. The carbon dioxide emitted also helps the fruits and vegetables grow, and the effect is obvious," Lian Yongle said. Yesterday morning they bought another batch of wood and continued burning fires in the afternoon, taking multiple measures in the hope of making it smoothly through this severe cold wave. (Reporter Chen Beixi, Correspondent Liu Qiyi)