Climate change result in warmer winters and spring which induce earlier loss of bud winter hardiness and earlier flowering time. The last date for spring frost is still very late, which gives a longer period of risk of frost events during flowering and higher risk for damage to flowering and thus fruit set.
The project will be aligned to an ongoing project FROSTPROINNO, that investigates different methods to avoid or reduce spring frost damage. Apple is main model, but other crops could be included.
A project is expected to be a mix of literature review and experimental trials, on which fruit crops in Denmark will be most affected by such changes and the physiological basis for this (accumulation of thermal time) and frost tolerance of cultivars over time. Controlled lab trials with frost tolerance of detached twigs would be a possibility. In addition, it could involve how management techniques and use of cultivar characteristics can be used to reduce risk for spring frosts. Experiments could be connected to characterisation of cultivar response of flowering time to warm springs and frost sensitivity of newly planted most promising apple cultivars, and possible how rootstocks may affect flowering time, trials with different chemical compounds to delay flowering or reduce frost sensitivity and finally evaluation of a new technical solution using fog-based systems to reduce irradiation frost. Measurements could include biochemical and biophysical parameters to understand plant responses, temperature measurements in buds and orchards to evaluate technical efficiency of solutions (fog-systems, wind machines, irrigation protection).
Delimitation of a project will be done together with a student.
The project is aligned to UN's SGD:
