Cold temperatures have a negative impact on most crops, however, many of these same crops also require dormant cold temperatures to benefit and thrive. Many deciduous flower and leaf buds only develop properly and uniformly after receiving sufficient chilling hours over the dormant period.
Chilling hours provide a tool for producers to gauge whether their crop has been exposed to sufficient cold temperatures. A lack of chilling hours can adversely affect crop growth and flowering, reducing crop yields and quality. By monitoring the cumulative chilling hours the potential for adverse affects is known. These can then be remedied by the implementation of management techniques to ensure the plant is given the best chance to produce high yields of quality fruit.
Excessive chilling hours may reduce the need to apply a pre-bud burst growth regulator in order to promote uniform bud-burst. By monitoring cumulative chilling hours these decisions can be made with certainty potentially reducing spray expenditure.
The SensorSentry remote monitoring solution incorporates the most popular chilling hour's calculations, including the Richardson Chill Unit method, which is regarded as one of the most accurate methods of determining the chilling requirements of deciduous trees.