BLACKSBURG, Va., Sept. 21 -- Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University issued the following news release:
Spring freezes can have a devastating effect on fruit crops when they occur during bloom.This year's freeze events were especially severe in the Winchester and Frederick County areaof Virginia, where apple and peach crops wereessentially wipedout.
Virginia Tech fruit crop expertSherifSherifexplainswhy the conditions of thisyear'sfreeze made such a difference."I believe the reason was not only the low temperatures we experienced, but also the duration of the freeze events and the very dry air, reflected in the unusually low dewpoints," said Sherif. "I believe the combination of these conditionscontributed to the severe damage...