Help for apple growers

Styria: More money for frost irrigation

Mit Frostberegnung wurde versucht, die Früchte zu schützen.

(Bild: Pail Sepp)

Styrian apple growers once again had a poor harvest this year. Late frosts are becoming more and more of a problem for the industry, with more and more farms closing down every year. An effective - but expensive - antidote is frost irrigation. The state is now increasing subsidies for this. 

Styria is Austria's most important apple country - around 70 percent of domestic apples grow in the Grüne Mark. But as this year has shown once again: Climate change - especially more frequent late frosts - is increasingly affecting our apple growers, with the number of farms declining year on year. This year, too, only a third of a normal harvest was harvested.

How "frost works against frost"
It is remarkable that 42 percent of this harvest was produced by only eight percent of farms - namely those that already rely on frost irrigation. This involves artificially sprinkling apple trees before frosty nights, and the resulting layer of ice protects blossoms and young fruit through the so-called solidification heat.

"It is the most effective and environmentally friendly method we currently have," says Leopold Steinbauer, head of the Haidegg State Fruit Growing Research Institute in Graz. The big catch is that the investment in storage ponds and irrigation technology is enormous and involves six-figure sums.

Provincial Councillor Simone Schmiedtbauer with Franz Grießner and Leo Steinbauer in an apple orchard with irrigation system at the Haidegg Research Station in Graz-Ragnitz.

(Bild: Jauschowetz Christian)

Agriculture Minister Simone Schmiedtbauer (ÖVP) therefore announced on Monday that the province of Styria will provide apple growers with more support for these investments: "To date, the funding has amounted to 40 percent of the installation costs for irrigation systems. From 2025, 65 percent will be subsidized."