COLD WEATHER HAS VENTURA COUNTY FEARING CROP DAMAGE.Byline: ERIC LEACH Staff Writer With temperatures expected to drop to record lows today and Saturday, Ventura County agriculture officials are bracing bracing, n a resistance to the horizontal components of masticatory force. for crop damage. David Buettner, Ventura County's deputy agricultural commissioner, said it's hard to predict how serious frost damage will be because conditions usually vary so much in different areas, but farmers are concerned. ``Typically, serious damage starts occurring once the temperatures dip below 28 degrees for more than four hours,'' he said Thursday. ``It all depends on where the low temperatures occur.'' Frost can damage some of the county's main crops, including citrus citrus Any of the plants that make up the genus Citrus, in the rue family, that yield pulpy fruits covered with fairly thick skins. The genus includes the lemon, lime, sweet and sour oranges, tangerine, grapefruit, citron, and shaddock (C. maxima, or C. grandis; also called pomelo). , avocados and strawberries, he said. Citrus trees in valley areas are of particular concern. ``Trees already weakened weak·en tr. & intr.v. weak·ened, weak·en·ing, weak·ens To make or become weak or weaker. weak  en·er n. by fire could have some serious
problems,'' he said.
David Schwabauer, who raises citrus and avocado avocado (ä`vəkä`do, ăv`–), tropical American broad-leaved evergreen tree of the genus Persea of the family Lauraceae (laurel family). trees on his 750-acre ranch ranch, large farm devoted chiefly to raising and breeding cattle, horses, sheep, and goats. The cattle ranch was introduced from Latin America to Texas and the plains of the W United States and Canada. north of Moorpark, said he was busy Thursday picking avocados to save the fruit from the frost, but said it was too early to know the potential for damage. His trees have already had substantial damage from the recent brush fire that swept through the area, and from windy, dry weather that followed. He will turn on his fans to increase air circulation and water the trees to help raise the temperature if needed, he said. Temperatures in some parts of Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, are expected to plummet into the 20s, with snow levels at 1,500 feet. eric.leach@dailynews.com (805) 583-7602 |
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