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COLD
WEATHER JUST THE TICKET FOR PEACHES
AUBURN, Jan. 10---While
some Alabamians may not be enjoying the cold winter, one group
thinks cold days are just what the doctor ordered.
The state's peach
producers are enjoying the first cold winter in the state in three
years. Peach trees need cold weather to set blooms normally.
One Chilton County
grower says she is happy with the chilly temperatures.
"I'm most assuredly
glad to see this cold weather," says Marilyn Collins. "The
trees have been under stress for so long because of the mild
winters, and I was really getting concerned about the health of some
of my trees."
Bobby Boozer, an area
horticulturist with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, says
peach varieties have differing cold requirements. Some may need as
few as 650 chill hours, while other varieties need considerably
more. There are high-chill varieties that need more than 1,000 hours
below 45 degrees.
"At the first of
the year, we had clocked approximately 800 chill hours in Chilton
County," said Boozer. "Growers have been calling to check
on the number of hours, and most growers' estimates have been within
50 or so hours of the official total."
Gary Gray, a Chilton
County Extension agent, says the chill hour totals are well above
the 45-year average in the county.
"The average is
around 615 hours in the first week of January, but right now we're
well over 200 hours ahead of average," said Gray.
Boozer and Gray agree
that most of the peach trees in Chilton County will have satisfied
their chill hour requirements by the end of the month.
"What we would like
to see is a gradual warming of the weather in February and
March," said Boozer. "Probably the worst thing would be an
extended period of warm weather followed by days of cold and hard
frosts."
Once peach trees have
satisfied their chill hours, warmer temperatures encourage the fruit
buds to grow and move toward blooming. Actively growing buds are
more vulnerable to cold and frosts than dormant buds.
Boozer is also concerned
that last summer's drought may have a negative impact on this year's
peach crop.
"Peach trees
actually set fruit buds in August and September. I'm worried that
some trees may not have as healthy buds because of the dry weather
when they were first developing," said Boozer. "Some
growers have told me their buds look good—plump and normal, but
others are reporting they have buds that are small and not as
vigorous-looking as they should be."
SOURCE: Bobby Boozer, (rboozer@aces.edu),
Horticulturist, Alabama Cooperative Extension System, (205) 646-3610
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