This summer fruit, however fond of the sun, does not support very hot weather. This impacts its production.
The heat can largely impact cultures, which is getting worse with global warming. However, summer is the season of fruit much appreciated by the French such as strawberries, melons, apricots … The production of one of them particularly suffers from very strong periods.
This fruit, with the scorching passages of June and July, matured faster than expected. Julien Gaudet, manager of the exploitation The priory of the Dive, in Maine-et-Loire, said that the harvest had started earlier than expected: “The whole of our production is between a week and ten days in advance,” said the professional with France info At the beginning of July. The harvest is usually done more gradually first in early June in the South East, then at the end of June in the Southwest and in the Center-West in July. Fortunately for farmers, in parallel, sales explode all summer because this fruit is full of water. It is obviously the melon, a summer star whether as an aperitif, as a starter or a dessert.
This early arrival, however, limits the spread of sale over the season while producers seek to continue until the end of September. In addition, as the Doctor of Agrometeorology Serge Zarka specifies, on X, the quantity of production faces slowed growth, estimated at -50%, during periods of heat wave. There may also be a risk of foliar burn: a bacterial disease.
If the melon likes heat, he dreads his excesses. This can, moreover, alter your taste or create deformations. When temperatures oscillate above 30 ° C, these conditions can harm the concentration of sugars and damage the delicate skin of the fruit. If he likes the sun, the melon also needs water. Drought disadvantages the formation of beautiful fruits. These different phenomena may not arrange with global warming.
However, you should not throw yourself on all the melons still present on the stalls. It is recommended not to fall into excessive consumption even in summer because Eat too much of these fruits can “
Increase the level of triglycerides in the blood and increase the abdominal fat mass, hence an increased risk of diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular diseases“
explains Nathalie Negro, head of the nutrition center of the thermal baths of Brides-les-Bains at Parisian. She recommends not to eat more than three portions of fruit per day. Half half melon corresponds to a portion.
