Sensitivity of winter chill models for fruit and nut trees to climatic changes expected in California's Central Valley

Abstract

Many fruit and nut crops require cold temperatures in winter to break dormancy. Quantifying this chilling requirement and selecting appropriate cultivars for the climate of a growing region is crucial for successful cultivation of such crops. Several models exist to quantify winter chill, and each growing region uses a model that has been shown to perform well under local climatic conditions. We tested the sensitivity of four commonly used chilling models to projected climatic change likely to affect fruit and nut production in the near future. For six sites in California's Central Valley, we generated 100 years of synthetic hourly weather records, representing climatic conditions in 1950, 2000 and projected temperatures in 2041–2060 derived from three IPCC-AR4 General Circulation Models (GCMs; CSIRO, HadCM3 and MIROC; A2 greenhouse gas emissions scenario). Mean winter chill for each site and year was calculated using the Chilling Hours, Utah, Positive Utah and Dynamic models. All chilling models predicted substantial decreases in winter chill at all sites, but the extent of these decreases varied depending on the model used. Across all sites between 1950 and 2050, mean chilling was predicted to decrease by 33% (Chilling Hours), 26% (Utah Model), 16% (Dynamic Model) and 14% (Positive Utah Model). Research efforts are needed to identify the most appropriate chilling model for preparing fruit and nut growers for the imminent effects of climate change.