How Cold Florida Temperatures Affected Your Blueberry Crop

Following the cold temperatures that hit Florida the first weekend in February, Florida blueberry growers are still assessing how well their crops fared.

“Florida growers experienced very low temperatures for several nights in a row; most growers report minimal damage. But in some cases, the weight of the ice caused it to break,” says Brittany Lee of the Florida Blueberry Growers Association based in Gainesville, FL. "We don't expect this to affect our state production and we are looking forward to a strong year."

Concern for blueberries in Florida was tied to the cold snap that was part of the winter storm on the US East Coast on the first weekend of the month. “Temperatures were very cold early Sunday and Monday morning, reaching 20 degrees F Sunday morning in some parts of Florida,” said Patricio Muñoz, a UF/IFAS blueberry breeder and associate professor.

How cold is too cold?

That said, experience gives Florida growers the knowledge that green fruit and blueberry blossoms can survive temperatures as low as 26 F. “However, it depends on other weather conditions, including wind and point dew," says Muñoz. "Blueberry floral tissues are most sensitive to chilling injury in the full bloom stage, while young green fruits are slightly less sensitive."

Due to the very warm temperatures that took place in December, many farms in Florida had flowers and fruit in those same stages. That made freeze protection important to maintain fruit production.

Munoz said nearly all blueberry growers in Florida used frost protection, largely through overhead water irrigation systems. “Sprinkler irrigation warms the fields with well water that is warmer than the air temperature, which forms a protective layer of ice on the plants,” says Muñoz. "When water changes from liquid to solid form, it releases a certain amount of heat, and a good, even ice cover helps keep plant tissues from falling below damaging temperatures."

Minor damage seen to date

However, this type of frost protection could also cause damage if it is not executed correctly or if the frost is too extensive and the weight of the ice damages the branches or plants. “Many growers reported only minor observable damage early last week, with most damage coming in the form of broken branches/culms or plants lying on the ground due to the weight of the ice,” Muñoz says. “Unsurprisingly, some growers have reported frost damage to the perimeter of their fields, or in areas where good water protection is difficult to achieve.”

And where to go next? Muñoz says that he will contact the growers at the end of this week or early next week to see if there really was any damage to the fruit or flowers; this can appear up to several days after a frostbite. “The damage would show up as discoloration on the outside of the fruit, brown flower petals, and brown to black areas on the inside of the flower buds or berries,” says Muñoz.

That said, it can be difficult to fully assess actual levels of damage, and Munoz says expected damage will vary from farm to farm across the state.

Previous article

next article

ARTÍCULOS RELACIONADOS

Austral Cherry: Good Campaign for the Pretty Girl of Fruit Growing
The impact and supply of new genetics will be the main topic at the meeting...
Novel system to evaluate the impact of relative humidity on the pe...