Fruit and nut yields threatened by warmer winters

As winters warm in some well know fruit growing regions of the world, crop yield can be severely reduced, even wiped out. See:

https://climatechange.lta.org/winter-chill/

In the US state of Georgia, famous for its peaches, 85% of the 2018 crop was lost due to the previous winter being too warm.

Similarly, in California, a warm winter destroyed the pistachio nut yield in 2015.

Understanding of the importance of the right time of year and a certain level of chilling requirements is well understood. (Winter chill is essential for most perennial plants from cold climates (Erez 2000; Knight 1801; Samish 1954; Saure 1985; Vegis 1961).

Research is ongoing to genetically modify crops to make them more resilient, but in the meantime farmers are going out of business.

And vineyards suffer if frost arrives in the spring:

“There is an apparent paradox: global warming can lead to increased frost damage!” Robert Vautard, senior scientist at the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) and director of the Institut Pierre-Simon Laplace, stated, discussing the paper he co-authored. “Our results show that climate change is making both the growing season start earlier and frosts become warmer, but the former effect dominates over the latter. The consequence is that vineyards grow and mature faster now, but this leaves them more exposed to eventual colder snaps.”

https://www.foodandwine.com/news/wine-grape-frost-global-warming-climate-change-linked

Regions once famous for high yiels contributing billions to their country’s wealth and ample food supplies, may suffer such warming extremes from now on that conditions will be impossible for this type of farming to by 2100.

“…there is clearly only one solution – we need to cut CO2 emissions, to ensure the return of bitterly cold Little Ice Age winters, to save French winery vineyards.”

Quotes from:

https://wattsupwiththat.com/2021/07/07/cnrs-global-warming-can-lead-to-increased-frost-damage

About borderslynn

Retired, living in the Scottish Borders after living most of my life in cities in England. I can now indulge my interest in all aspects of living close to nature in a wild landscape. I live on what was once the Iapetus Ocean which took millions of years to travel from the Southern Hemisphere to here in the Northern Hemisphere. That set me thinking and questioning and seeking answers. In 1998 I co-wrote Millennium Countdown (US)/ A Business Guide to the Year 2000 (UK) see https://www.abebooks.co.uk/products/isbn/9780749427917
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