Welcome to Chinese Agricultural Science Bulletin,

Chinese Agricultural Science Bulletin ›› 2022, Vol. 38 ›› Issue (21): 88-96.doi: 10.11924/j.issn.1000-6850.casb2022-0141

Special Issue: 生物技术 园艺 农业气象

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Possible Impacts of Climate Change on the Risk of Apple Overwintering in China

ZHANG Yong1,2(), QU Zhenjiang2,3(), LIU Yuefeng1, LIU Lu1,2, LI Yanli1,2, PAN Yuying1   

  1. 1Shaanxi Meteorological Service Station for Economic Crops, Xi’an 710016
    2Key Laboratory of Eco-Environment and Meteorology for the Qinling Mountains and Loess Plateau, Xi’an 710016
    3Meteorological Institute of Shaanxi Province, Xi’an 710016
  • Received:2022-03-02 Revised:2022-06-16 Online:2022-07-25 Published:2022-08-23
  • Contact: QU Zhenjiang E-mail:zhylt1101@163.com;nju_qzj@126.com

Abstract:

Safe overwintering is an important index to assess the possible impact of climate change on apple planting boundary and variety selection. Based on existing research, four agro-climatic indices were proposed to evaluate the effect of climate change on apple safe overwintering in China. The four agro-climatic indices, respectively, indicate the risk of damage to apple by early winter frost, the risk of the intensity and duration of low freezing temperature, the risk of damage by extreme low temperature, and the risk of damage to developing flower buds by late spring frost. We studied the variation trends and abrupt change characteristics of the four agro-climatic indices across main apple-producing regions of China, including the Loess Plateau, Bohai Bay, Old Course of the Yellow River, Southwest Highlands and Xinjiang, by using statistical methods and the ArcGIS analysis tools based on meteorological observational data from 1961 to 2015. The results showed that temperature significantly increased during the apple overwintering period in main apple-producing regions of China, while the number of annual accumulative frost days and the frequency of extreme low temperature events significantly decreased. The risk of damage to apple by early winter frost was increased due to the shortened interval between first frost and first low temperature in northern Bohai Bay, Old Course of the Yellow River and northern Xinjiang. The risk of the intensity and duration of low freezing temperature during the apple overwintering period decreased, so did the risk of damage by extreme low temperature, especially in high latitude regions. But the frequency of extreme low temperature events was uncertain in the Loess Plateau and Xinjiang producing regions. In addition, the risk of damage to developing apple flower buds by late spring frost increased in the Loess Plateau, Liaoning, western Sichuan and Xinjiang producing regions. To sum up, the risk of the intensity and duration of low freezing temperature and the risk of damage by extreme low temperature decreased, but the risk of damage to apple by early winter frost and the risk of damage to developing flower buds by late spring frost increased.

Key words: climate change, apple, agro-climatic indices, overwintering, risk

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