英国干旱导致万圣节南瓜减产体积缩小

英国今年遭遇严重干旱，预计将导致万圣节南瓜短缺，且可用南瓜的体积远小于往年。1由于南瓜含水量高达90%，需要充足灌溉才能生长，而干旱使充分灌溉在实践中极其困难，最终可能导致今年成为最差的南瓜收成。1

Riverford有机蔬菜配送公司创始人Guy Singh-Watson表示："经历如此异常炎热干燥的夏天后，万圣节南瓜比往年更小并不令人惊讶。"1英国皇家园艺学会首席园艺师Guy Barter指出："南瓜体型偏小，除非大量灌溉。干旱使充分灌溉在实践中极其困难。"1

面对南瓜短缺，有机蔬菜公司和园艺专家建议采取替代方案。1消费者可以考虑使用较小型的南瓜，或者改用其他蔬菜来装饰万圣节。1专家还提议回归17世纪英国的传统做法，在根类蔬菜（如芹菜根、萝卜和甜菜）上雕刻面孔。1

England's severe drought this year is expected to result in a significantly smaller pumpkin harvest for Halloween, with experts warning of potential shortages in the coming season 1. The unusual heat and dry conditions may produce the worst growing season on record for the crop, as pumpkins are composed of approximately 90% water and require substantial irrigation to develop properly 1. The drought has made adequate watering extremely difficult in practice, leaving growers unable to produce the larger specimens typically seen during the holiday 1.

Guy Singh-Watson, founder of Riverford Organic Farmers, noted that "after experiencing such an unusually hot and dry summer, it is hardly surprising that Halloween pumpkins are smaller than in previous years" 1. Guy Barter, chief horticulturist at the Royal Horticultural Society, explained that "pumpkins will be small in size unless heavily irrigated, and the drought has made thorough irrigation extremely challenging in practice" 1.

In response to the diminished supply, gardening experts and organic vegetable companies are encouraging people to consider alternatives, including using smaller pumpkins or other vegetables for decoration 1. Some have suggested reviving a seventeenth-century English tradition of carving faces on root vegetables such as celeriac, turnips, and beetroot, rather than relying on pumpkins 1.