Mitigating Cold Damage in Horticultural Crops

Abstract

Techniques for mitigation of cold damage to horticultural crops in the United States are presented. Site Selection continues to be one of the most popular methods of reducing risk. There are numerous methods of microclimate modification that have been tried and reported as successful. These include stack heaters, wind machines, helicopters, fog generators, covers, and various irrigation methods, including flooding. Combinations of methods such as wind machines and heaters have been popular. It is frequently reported that the effect of a combination is greater than the simple sum of the methods used separately. Physical systems are contrasted to the potential of genetically modifying resistance to cold damage. Combinations of diverse fields, including the physical and the physiological in such methods as bloom delay, promise additional change in the art of cold protection. Agricultural Meteorology has changed radically and rapidly: the target used to be the small farmer, with Extension Services contributing to the documentation trials and grower intervention. Consolidation has replaced most of the small farms with large firms, highly integrated and prone to study changes in their practices through the use of consulting firms, a few of which apparently cover most of the needs. Now experiences are less likely to be shared. Large firms handle risk with diversification, insuranceand hedging practices, e.g. futures trading. Insurance companies have supported hurricane research and are likely to become more interested in other weather events that may impact their clients. The future seems to favor the integration of knowledge and skills from numerous fields. Further development and testing of models seems likely to bring the various details together to aid in decision making.