Late spring frosts are a relevant problem in German apple production as they
cause yield losses and compromise fruits quality. Therefore,fruit growers are
increasingly interested in protecting their orchards against spring frost during
blossom. They have the choice between several active and passive protection
measures, which differ greatly in terms of costs, effectiveness and
labour requirement.
We developed a decision model and compared economic efficiency as well as
yield effects of eight active frost protection measures. It turned out that,
investments are more likely to be worthwhile in regions with high frost
risk. According to our model overhead irrigation and stationary wind
machines are the most promising measures. The results offer guidance to apple
growers making decisions about frost protection and may alert policymakers
to the importance of supporting frost protection to ensure regional apple
production in changing climatic and economic situations.
Find the full paper here:
Christine Schmitz, Lars Zimmermann, Katja Schiffers, Cory Whitney, Martin Balmer,
Eike Luedeling, 2025. Model-based decision support for the choice of
active spring frost protection measures in apple production. Agricultural Systems
224, 104255. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2024.104255
