ANDl rThe report prepared by Avium's technical team, which will be updated weekly, includes relevant data from the current and past seasons, as well as the average number of cold hours over the last seven years.
For the third consecutive year, our platform is making available the report on the Evolution and Comparison of the Accumulation of Chilling Hours (CH), Season 2022-23. The document, prepared by the Avium technical team, headed by its Director Carlos Tapia, is now available.
This report, which will be updated weekly, will contain the cold hour graphs for the current season, as well as the HF accumulation curve for the 2021-22 season and the average for the last seven years.
Chilling hours: Why are they relevant?
Chilling hours are a very important factor in the reproductive cycle of deciduous trees, especially cherry trees, since their accumulation is directly related to the use of the reserves they have to start the next season and achieve their productive potential. It should be noted that plants accumulate cold from the beginning of physiological dormancy, marked by the fall of at least 50 percent of the leaves, considering yellow leaves as fallen leaves.
It is also worth remembering that each variety has different chilling hour accumulation requirements and that most of the accumulated chilling hours occur in the central stage of dormancy, called endodormancy. In practical terms, this period is between June 1 and 30, where at least 250 HF should be accumulated.
The report prepared by Avium's technical team not only makes the current season's data available to the industry free of charge, but also makes it possible to compare the figures with previous years, a fact of great importance when making decisions in orchards, for example, in the pruning strategy or nutritional strategy and, in addition, to project what the next harvest will be like.
Finally, it should be noted that the report on the accumulation and comparison of cold hours, as usual, includes data from the months of May, June and July between the Metropolitan region and Los Lagos; producers will be able to compare this information, in real time, with their own weather stations and thus establish strategies to maintain or improve the productive potential of their orchards, in terms of quantity, quality and condition of fruit.
