I believe that most blueberry growers will agree that the chill unit accumulation in their crop has been excellent this year as the chart below depicting chill units (hours between 32 and 45ยบ F) accumulated at selected FAWN Stations this year in the first column versus the accumulation to date last year in the second column and the average accumulation to date demonstrates:
| FAWN Station | Chill Hours (32-45F) | Chill Hours (32-45F) last year | Chill Hours (32-45F) Average |
| Citra | 183 | 35 | 100 |
| Pierson | 140 | 25 | 70 |
| Umatilla | 114 | 20 | 80 |
| Ocklawaha | 146 | 20 | 95 |
| Okahumpka | 140 | 25 | 90 |
| Dover | 99 | 20 | 60 |
The near time forecast indicates a good probability of accumulating additional chill this week as another weaker cold front is scheduled to move in mid-week resulting in a few more mornings with lows in the low 40s in many locations. This favorable chill accumulation should be an asset to growers who have not applied their hydrogen cyanamide, as increased chill accumulation has been shown to enhance the activity of this plant growth regulator.
You can track chill accumulation on the AgroClimate Website by following the link below:
http://agroclimate.org/tools/Chill-Hours-Calculator/
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Thank you,
Gary K. England
1951 Woodlea Rd.
Tavares, FL 32778
(352) 343-4101 Ext. 2729
(352) 343-2767 FAX
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