Kentville Research and Development Centre
2024-25 Bud Hardiness Report No. 1 - Nova Scotia
Attached, from Jeff Franklin and Dr. Harrison Wright, is Nova Scotia bud hardiness report #1 for the 2024-25 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: The bud hardiness values from our recent survey are similar to values observed in previous years. The average temperature so far for November is 6.22 °C compared to the 10 and 25-year averages of 4.59 °C and 4.63 °C, respectively. It is likely that this trend will continue for the short-term as the 14-day forecast predicts near normal daily highs and above average nighttime minimums. Looking forward to 30 days, temperatures are expected to return to seasonal values. We are hopeful that the near normal temperatures will provide the necessary stimulus to deepen bud hardiness values as we move into winter.
A new addition to the wine grape bud hardiness reports this year is a comparison between the LTE50 values generated by our direct measurements in the lab and an estimate generated using the NYUS.2.1 model, which is based on temperature alone.