Ilze Grāvīte, a researcher and breeder at the Dobele Horticultural Institute, shows an orchard that is still waking up slowly, as this year Zemgale experienced uncharacteristically low temperatures both in winter and spring.
"These buds have definitely been damaged by frost, which is why they aren’t opening. Look, this is what a swollen bud and a leaf bud look like. And these here look like the woody part has likely been damaged. Look, I’ll snap it off, and it’s already turned brow...