It seemed impossible for the rains of March to be bad news for someone. Until the watermelons and melons arrived

The huge rains of March have left much of the field offside and, for weeks, the generalized response has been the country. It is not for less: in the whole of Spain 149 l/m² have been accumulated2.5 more than usual.

The benefits are huge: they are not only full swamps; but the fields of cereal, vineyard, olive grove and nuts at their best and a sweet moment in sheep, goat and milk bovine.

But there are also great harmed.

Who can water go wrong? Paradoxically, many crops: some vegetables (from broccoli to lettuce), the strawberries of Huelva, the harvest of potatoes, legumes and, above all, to the melon and watermelon.

Is it for floods? In large part yes. In Murcia, more than 5,000 hectares of vegetables have been flooded and in Almería crops have been affected (both outdoors and greenhouse). It is thus understood that, during all this time, root asphyxiation has been one of the great fears of farmers.

In essence, we talk about A phenomenon that occurs when the roots of the plants do not receive enough oxygen. This usually occurs when there is an excess of water on the ground; And, in fact, it can happen even if the ‘flood’ lasts for a short time.

However, there are problems beyond suffocation. A good example is the chickpea. In his case he has not suffocated because, in short, he has not even come to be planted in provinces such as Seville (which concentrates a third of national production). As the Secretary General of Coag Sevilla says in The debatethe chickpea has to be more than 100 days in the countryside and “this year, hopefully, will pass 60”.

Even in the event that the meteorology accompanies, the chickpea campaign It will be very bad. And, in addition, it is inevitable because farmers cannot plant anything else: the norms of common agricultural policy They force them to plant a certain percent of its land with legumes.

And then we have the humidity. The rain has caused moisture levels to shoot and, With themthe “proliferation of pests and diseases such as the Botrytis (caused by a fungus) or the Mildiu” (groups several diseases that damage stems and leaves) “that are rotting the kills.

And what happens to melons and watermelons? Another different thing. In the case of these crops, the situation is “worrying” because the rains arrived in “The most delicate moment, pollination“This has significantly delayed production to the point that seems unfeasible that early watermelons can reach the market on their usual dates.

The hope of the sector, As explained by COAGis that great production is rethink. If no unforeseen occurs, that would allow the market of late watermelons and melons with force. But, of course, everything depends on what happens in the next few days.

It is worth remembering that in recent years, these two summer fruits have starred controversial for its high prices and distribution problems.

All to do. The great unknowns are now two: What water management will allow hydrographic confederations and the rest of the administrations, on the one hand. And how flexible will be the European Union With the restrictions of phytosanitary products In a context climatic extreme.

However, there are many more things on the table. Many more problems, many more opportunities. Above all, before The perspective that this is the new normality.

Image | Towsend Walton

In Xataka | Before the return of the rains to Spain, the field looks at the worried sky: there are dozens of crops with weeks late