Kentville Research and Development Centre
2023-24 Bud Hardiness Report No. 3 - Nova Scotia
Attached, from Jeff Franklin and Dr. Harrison Wright, is Nova Scotia bud hardiness report #3 for the 2023-24 year. The Nova Scotia wine grape bud hardiness survey generates occasional reports of the low temperature exotherm (LTE) values over the dormant period (roughly from late October to late April).
Note from the research team: LTE50 values have dropped considerably since our last survey on December 19 and 20. Current bud hardiness values for our survey varieties are within 1 °C of the average values observed in late January looking back over the years of the survey from 2018 to 2023. Bud hardiness is greater (more negative) for all varieties than at this time last year when warm weather resulted in poor acclimation. A special mention should be given to the hybrids L’Acadie and Marquette, which are more than 1 °C and 3 °C more hardy, respectively, than at this time last year. We expect that the LTE50 values will continue to drop a little more in February for all varieties. The recent drop in bud hardiness values is likely due to the effects of the near normal winter temperatures experienced in January. The mean daily temperature for the first 25 days in January 2024 is -2.7 °C compared to a 10-year average of -3.9 °C. This is considerably better than the mean daily temperatures observed in January of last year which were approximately 3.5 °C higher than the 10-year average. Long-term forecasts predict that temperatures will continue to cycle between average and above average for the next 14 days.