Frost Protection Case Study in Orchards

Abstract

Abstract In two important fruit-growing areas of Hungary (Siófok, Pallag) we analyzed some frost protection methods used in practice, such as paraffin candles, frostbuster and frost protection irrigation. The frost protection experiment was set up by spraying the fruit trees with water at different intervals for half a minute. The canopy of each tree contained 4 thermometers, the average value of which was used to characterize the efficiency of frost protection irrigation. The effectiveness of frost protection in the canopy of the fruit tree can be characterized by the temperature measurable during the protection. The combined presence of sub-freezing water and ice, the freed heat of freezing, keeps the temperature near the protected flowers above 0 ° C, while the ambient air is up to -8 ° C. Frostbuster is a new frost protection technology developed primarily for frost protection in orchards. The device works by butane combustion and produces high (80-90 ° C) temperatures with strong air blowing. The device is towed by a tractor, so it is suitable for protecting up to 5-7 hectares. In the event of severe frosts, the tractor speed must be increased and it is advisable to reduce the size of the protected area. Paraffin candles are placed in a row between the trees. Between every tree or every second tree. As a result, up to a thousand paraffin candles can be placed in each hectare of the protected plantation. Applying them means a lot of human labor and high cost. Our study confirmed that Fostbusteres and paraffin candles only protect against frost up to -4 ° C, while antifreeze irrigation provided effective protection against frosts of up to -7 degrees.