Nikki Rothwell with Michigan State University Extension oversees the Northwest Michigan Horticultural Research Center in Traverse City, which experienced several days near or above 50 degrees in the last week.
She is quite concerned about the impact warm this winter weather could have on fruit crops: “Trees don’t come out of dormancy on a dime, but these things don’t help in terms of sustainable, long-term management of these perennial cropping systems.”
Rothwell says increasingly warm, wet, dry, and cold weather fluctuations can limit the lifespan of orchards and could be causing more tree deaths in the region. The MSU AgBioResearch station includes nearly 140 acres of sweet and tart cherries, wine grapes, apples, plums and hops.
Source: brownfieldagnews.com