Effects of dry summer will be felt for years to come

14-8-2026

The effects of the current drought will remain noticeable for years to come, warns pcfruit director Dany Bylemans in an article on Vilt.be. Tree roots are dying as a result of the drought. “In the coming years, we will see large numbers of trees die, both in orchards and in the natural environment,” says Bylemans.

“With drought conditions like those we are seeing today, cherry trees in particular, but also apple and pear trees, can struggle in the years that follow,” he says. “If a root is deprived of water for too long, air bubbles form in the sap flow and the root dies. The tree itself may survive for a while, but it can run into problems the following year when it has to support a full crop load with a reduced root system. We will probably only see the effects of this drought in a year or two, not only in orchards but also in forest trees.”

Since mid-June, there has been no significant rainfall in Belgium. “In all fruit crops, we are seeing accelerated ripening, resulting in earlier harvest dates and smaller fruit,” says Bylemans. The good news is that although the fruit will be smaller, the abundant sunshine has resulted in high sugar accumulation, which should also make the fruit taste better. Bylemans adds that flavour compounds are found mainly in the skin, “and a small fruit has relatively more skin than a large fruit.”

Fruit size

In many orchards in Belgium, both apples and pears are smaller than normal. In addition, colour development in apples has so far been slow due to the lack of cool nights. This could still change if night-time temperatures fall over the coming weeks.