Kentville Research and Development Centre
2022-23 Bud Hardiness Report No. 4 - Nova Scotia
Attached, from Jeff Franklin and Dr. Harrison Wright, is the fourth Nova Scotia bud hardiness report for the 2022-23 year. The Nova Scotia wine grape bud hardiness survey generates a bi-weekly report of the low temperature exotherm (LTE) values over the dormant period (roughly from late October to late April).
Note from the research team: "Bud acclimation continues to hold at the levels seen in the survey from early December. Current LTE50 values for all varieties in our survey are above the average values measured over the previous five years of the survey. The differences between the current LTE50 values for these varieties and the 5-year average for this time of year are: Chardonnay – 1.7 °C, L’Acadie Blanc – 3.0 °C, Marquette – 3.1 °C, Pinot Noir – 0.6 °C, and Riesling – 1.2 °C. The lower degree of acclimation over the course of the 2022 / 2023 dormant season thus far is likely due to the above average temperatures we have experienced this fall and early winter. The mean temperature over the months of October, November and December of 2022 was 6.4 °C compared to the 25-year average of 4.4 °C. This is the warmest start to the dormant season since the current wine grape cluster project began five years ago. The long term forecast calls for this trend to continue for at least another two weeks. We are hopeful that cooler temperatures will develop after that and so continue the acclimation process for grapes and other sensitive perennial crops."