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Apple Agriculture and Weather Change
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Apple Agriculture and Weather Change
To sustain and enhance human life, we must cultivate products that will provide
us with energy. Agriculture dates back thousands of years and has been perfected with
the help of science and persistent farmers. This practice alone contributes over twohundred billion dollars to the United States economy each year (EPA, 2013). Each state
has it’s own place for agriculture, whether it be for livestock, crops, or fishery. More
specifically, New York State is the leading agricultural state with a contributing factor of
4.7 million dollars alone (DiNapoli, 2012). Apples are New York’s largest fruit crop
ranking this State as the second in the nation for apple production. Apple farms in New
York have been a way of life for centuries and require specific climate to be able to
produce this magnificent fruit. Currently, changing climate in New York State is creating
both economic and agricultural challenges which can be detrimental for the entire
nation.
Farmers in New York State are being directly effected by the climate change.
Since 1988, temperatures have raised 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit annually which are
having extreme effects on the overall yields of apple farms (Archer, 2010, p. 43).
Although temperature is an important factor in farming, precipitation is another key
player. Farmers rely on a certain amount of rain each growing season and if there is too
little or too much, it can create unwanted outcomes for the farmer and the consumer. As
temperatures increase, evaporation increases. This vapor meets cold air and
condenses to form a liquid. This liquid accumulates to form clouds and once it reaches
total saturation, the droplets must be released to form rain, snow, or hail (Archer, 2010,
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p. 47). According to Cornell University and their 2011 Synthesis Report, by the year
2080 annual temperatures are projected to increase by 7 degrees F followed by a
precipitation increase of 10 percent in upstate New York (See figures A-C). These
factors have been linked to not only decreased apple yields but also a change in the
apple’s growing season.
The growing season is the period of which plants and crops grow successfully. A
normal growing season for apples averages about 145 days which is the number of
days between the last frost of spring and the first frost of winter. The length of the
growing season is event driven and is solely dependent on specific cold weather events.
Because an apple’s growing season depends on cold weather events, an increase in
average temperature does not necessarily imply an increase in growing season. Once
the last frost of spring occurs, apple orchards start to flourish and go in to full bloom,
showing their beautiful white buds. This is the key time for development of the fruit and
requires the pollination of bees. Studies show that spring bloom is coming earlier based
on plant response (Markham, 2006). Studies show since the early 1900s, there has
been a rapid advance in spring bloom of 2 days per decade. While spring bloom is
showing up sooner, fall maturation is coming later due to warmer weather. Apple trees
need cold weather towards the fall for color change and the maturation of flavor.
Farmers are finding fall to be warmer than in past years which is producing more bitter
apples. During fall maturation, apples take advantage of the cold to perfect it’s flavor
profile and produce more sweet and crisp product (Ledford, 2013). This rapid advance
in the growing season can create an unwanted product but the most devastating reality
is fruit loss is increasing drastically with increased temperatures. According to Cornell
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University, the three leading causes of fruit loss is weather damage, pests, and lack of
pollination.
Apple trees are very adaptable to many weather conditions. They can go days
with saturated, wet soil and also a couple of days with limited water supply. Recently,
though, extreme weather damage is a concern for all upstate farmers (Wolfe, 2012). If it
is too hot with decreased precipitation, farms need to have back up water supply and
equipment to get water to the crops. Severe droughts are of major concern for small
apple farms that do not have a proper irrigation plan or equipment. Larger farms plan for
droughts by creating man made ponds and having irrigation tubing and sprinklers to
water the apple trees. Droughts are the only weather related damage that farmers can
be on top of and prevent minimal product loss. Severe flooding and frost damage are
two conditions in which farmers have limited control over. Upstate New York has been
having unprecedented rates of flooding and the soil cannot absorb the water in enough
time to allow the roots of the trees to breathe (Rosenzweig, 2011, p 6). Unfortunately,
scientists are predicting that upstate New York will soon have an entirely different
ecosystem due to the increased percentage of precipitation and a lot of apple farms will
be moved more north. Lastly, extreme change in temperatures during winter will be the
most detrimental to apple yields. Where as flooding and drought will at least produce
very limited apple yields, warmer winters will create no apple yields. Apple trees are
dormant during winter (December-March) because they do not bloom during cold
weather. Farmers are noticing weeks of warmer weather, above 32 degrees, in upstate
New York. This warmer weather is tricking the trees to believe it is spring which causes
them to start to bloom. The problem comes when temperatures return to below freezing
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because once the trees bloom, they cannot encounter cold weather again or else they
will freeze and die, producing no apple yields the entire spring or fall (US Climate
Change Science Program, 2010). With the combination of warmer temperatures and
increased precipitation, apple orchards are on the verge of being extinct from the
Hudson Valley and the surrounding areas of New York State. Warmer temperatures are
creating longer growing seasons which cause a decrease in ideal apple yields. Given
the wrong season, warmer temperatures can cause dead blooms for spring, creating no
apple yields. An increased amount of precipitation will similarly cause limited to no
yields since the roots require oxygen for the fruit.
Crops and plants are susceptible to a handful of pests and bugs due to their
warm climate and moist soil. Apples are particularly vulnerable to bugs and fungi since
the fruit is big which can house many types and because of the duration that the fruit is
on the trees. Apple trees are receptive to bugs because the stump of the tree is very
moist and can often be shaded. All weeds, pests, bugs, and fungi thrive under warm
temperatures, wet climates, and high carbon dioxide levels. Apples are most prone to
apple maggots and codling moths. These bugs can deform and oxidize the apple,
creating an unwanted appearance by consumers. In total, apple farmers alone in the
United States spend close to 13 million dollars a year in pesticides. This is a 45 percent
increase since 1990 (Adams, Hurd, Lenhart, 1998, p. 23). These bugs are directly
related to global warming because they are appearing in larger numbers with warmer
and wetter weather.
Pollination is the third lead cause of product loss on apple farms. Because apples
are genetically self incompatible, variety of apples and the requirement of bees are
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absolutely crucial for apple farms. Many farmers purchase bees in large quantities from
bee keepers to ensure proper pollination. Without proper pollination, the fruit will not set
in to the bloomed flowers of the apple trees. Ideally, every other spur should have an
apple on it by mid June which lets the farmer know if pollination was completed
successfully. Bee pollination is a tricky concept because bees will only pollinate in their
own ideal weather temperatures and are highly susceptible to toxicity poisoning of the
pesticides that are needed to spray on the orchards. Farmers are finding their ability to
get bees to pollinate is getting more difficult as weather gets warmer because bee
pollination decreases with increased pesticide use but warmer weather brings more
bugs to battle with.
Plants are a great indicator of global warming because their phenological
response are based on a complex integration of temperature, sunshine, rainfall, and
humidity. Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is increasing due to not only natural causes
but because of green house emissions. This carbon dioxide is creating a blanket over
our planet that is having detrimental effects on all aspects of Earth’s nature. More
specifically, this carbon dioxide is effecting apple agriculture in upstate New York by
creating warmer temperatures and increased percentage of precipitation. Due to these
changes that are gradually occurring, many farmers are finding their apple yields are
decreasing due to weather damage, pests and bugs, and pollination issues. These
three key problems are creating an economic hardship on that farmers because of
product loss, pesticide and irrigation costs. The climate crisis that we face needs to be
addressed not only for our own survival but for the survival of everything we have grown
to love and enjoy.