VOA慢速英語：干旱天氣威脅著意大利著名的葡萄和橄欖作物

Farmers in Italy's famous Tuscany area are struggling to save grape and olive crops threatened by a heatwave and drought conditions.
意大利著名的托斯卡納地區(qū)的農(nóng)民,正在努力拯救受到熱浪和干旱條件威脅的葡萄和橄欖作物。
 
A lack of rainfall since spring has even affected plants that traditionally grow well in hot and dry weather.
自春季以來降雨嚴重不足,一些本該在炎熱干燥天氣中生長良好的植物也受到了影響。
 
In San Casciano in Val di Pesa, near Florence, olive trees line the hillsides. But farmers say the dry soil is preventing the trees from producing the normal amount of fruit.
在佛羅倫薩附近 Val di Pesa 的圣卡西亞諾，橄欖樹排列在山坡上。但農(nóng)民說，干燥的土壤正在阻礙樹木生產(chǎn)正常數(shù)量的水果。
 
Tuscany is famous around the world for its olive oil and wine from grapes. But growers in the area say dry, hot weather has recently had a major effect on the crops and harmed production.
托斯卡納以其橄欖油和葡萄酒而聞名于世。但該地區(qū)的種植者表示，最近干燥炎熱的天氣對作物產(chǎn)生了重大影響,并損害了產(chǎn)量。
 
"We had a very dry spring with practically no rain from March to today," olive grower Filippo Legnaioli told Reuters. He said this year's heat and lack of water happened during an important time, when the flowers were changing to fruit.
“從 3 月到今天，這里的春天非常干燥，幾乎沒有下雨。”橄欖種植者 Filippo Legnaioli 告訴路透社。他說，今年的高溫和缺水恰好發(fā)生在開花結果的重要時期。
 
Without water, many flowers fall to the ground before they can produce fruit. Legnaioli said this year's oil production could be reduced by up to 60 percent.
沒有水，很多花還沒來得及結果就掉在地上。Legnaioli 表示，今年的橄欖油產(chǎn)量可能減少多達 60%。
 
Other olive growers have decided to change some of their farming methods. They have added extra watering systems to make up for the lack of rainfall and hot temperatures.
其他橄欖種植者決定改變耕作方法。他們增加了額外的澆水系統(tǒng)，以彌補降雨不足和高溫。
 
Farmer Luigi Calonaci told Reuters the "rescue" watering methods aim "to protect the production of olives on the plants."
農(nóng)民 Luigi Calonaci 告訴路透社，“救援”澆水方法的目的是“保護植物上橄欖的生產(chǎn)”。
 
The system works through a pipe placed beneath the trees to release small amounts of water. Calonaci's farm has also been using a white netting material to protect the plants from olive fruit flies, whose larvae feed on the fruit of the trees. While the farmers say that problem is not directly related to the drought, it can also cause big crop losses.
該系統(tǒng)通過放置在樹下的管道釋放少量水。Calonaci 的農(nóng)場還一直在使用白色網(wǎng)兜來保護植物免受果蠅的侵害，橄欖果蠅的幼蟲以樹上的果實為食。雖然農(nóng)民說這個問題與干旱沒有直接關系，但它也可能造成巨大的作物損失。
 
The effects of climate change have not only affected production and plants but have also created new areas in Italy where crops can be grown. A few years ago, olive farms were mainly found in hot and dry areas such as Sicily. Now, areas such as Val d'Aosta in the far north of Italy - which is famous for its ski resorts and mountains - can produce their own oil.
氣候變化的影響不僅影響了生產(chǎn)和植物，還在意大利開辟了新的作物種植區(qū)域。幾年前，橄欖園主要分布在西西里等炎熱干燥的地區(qū)?，F(xiàn)在，以滑雪勝地和山脈而聞名的意大利最北部的 Val d'Aosta 等地區(qū)都可以出產(chǎn)橄欖油了。
 
Climate change is also affecting wine crops in Tuscany. In Chianti, for example, September is normally the month for the yearly grape harvest. But with continued high temperatures, many grapes are ripening earlier than expected.
氣候變化也在影響托斯卡納的葡萄酒作物。例如，在基安蒂，9 月通常是每年葡萄收獲的月份。但隨著持續(xù)的高溫，許多葡萄的成熟時間比預期的要早。
 
"We have smaller grapes, and we expect the number of grapes to be lower than the average of the last few years," said Sergio Zingarelli, who helps lead a local grape farming group.
“我們的葡萄較小，預計今年葡萄的數(shù)量將低于過去幾年的平均水平。”幫助領導當?shù)仄咸逊N植集團的塞爾吉奧·津加雷利說。
 
In addition to the reduction in grapes caused by the current heatwave, wine growers also have to deal with other extreme weather events.
除了當前熱浪造成的減產(chǎn)外，葡萄種植者還必須應對其他極端天氣事件。
 
Paolo Cianferoni is the owner of Chianti's "Caparsa" winery. He said a hailstorm recently destroyed 40 percent of grapes in the area. He told Reuters, "Luckily the quality of the grapes has not been affected, so we'll see what happens."
Paolo Cianferoni 是基安蒂“Caparsa”酒莊的所有者。他說，最近一場冰雹摧毀了該地區(qū) 40% 的葡萄。他告訴路透社，“幸運的是葡萄的質量沒有受到影響，所以我們拭目以待吧。”
 
I'm Bryan Lynn.
布萊恩·林恩報道。