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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — With less than two weeks until the official end of an unusually warm winter in Pennsylvania, the apple crop is in some jeopardy, warns a tree fruit specialist with Penn State Extension.Unseasonably warm temperatures in December and January and the warmest February on record in the state have advanced fruit tree bud development by about two weeks earlier than normal. That leaves them vulnerable to frost, said Richard Marini, professor of horticulture.
"That's bad news because if these trees bloom too early and we get a hard frost that kills flower buds, we could lose part of the crop," Marini said.
Apples are an important part of Pennsylvania's agricultural industry. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the state ranks fourth in the country in apple production at more than 400 million pounds annually.
The average date of the last frost in central Pennsylvania is about May 10, and in Adams County, in the southeastern part of the state — where most of the tree fruit is grown — the last frost date is April 11, Marini pointed out. And most apple trees in the state bloom at about the same time as the average last frost.
Healthy apple blossoms from a recent year at Penn Stare Extension's Fruit Research and Extension Center in Biglerville, Pennsylvania. All buds on a tree do not bloom at the same time. The earliest flowers may bloom about a week earlier than the latest flowers.
Image: Penn State
“As a result, we usually have a chance of frost during bloom. For every day we bloom earlier than the average bloom date, the likelihood of a frost increases,” he said. “So, if we bloom two weeks earlier than normal, the probability of having a frost during bloom is greater than normal.”
Right now, apple tree buds can probably withstand temperatures around 10 degrees Fahrenheit. At full ...
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Sunday, March 12, 2017
Warm winter has put state’s apple crop at risk, expert warns
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