Developing a Model for Predicting the Blooming of Apples Based on the Physical Properties of Soil

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24580344
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Irrigation, drainage and rural engineering/Rural planning
• Research Institution: Hirosaki University
• Principal Investigator: KATO Koh 弘前大学, 農学生命科学部, 准教授 (40302020)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 溝口 勝 (00181917)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 地温 / リンゴ園 / 開花予測 / 降積雪

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We've carried out field monitoring in apple orchards in Aomori Prefecture to investigate the relationship between the physical properties of soil and the bloom date of Fuji apples. The main findings of the study were as follows: (1)During the winter, soil temperatures in orchards don't reach the freezing point, even when air temperatures fall below-10°C. (2)Prediction models depending on accumulated temperatures, which generally used, are effective in orchards that have been investigated. (3)Predicting the bloom date is achieved by measuring soil temperatures at 64 cm and estimating when the temperatures will reach 10°C based on the assumption that soil temperatures increase linearly. This method doesn't rely on sensors, but yields accurate bloom dates easily. As such, this method should prove to be highly practical in the field. (4)The date of the first snowfall and the beginning of snow continuously covering the ground affect soil temperatures and snow melting the following spring.

Free Research Field

地域環境システム学