Accumulation of cold hours for cranberry production in Nayarit, Mexico

Abstract

The climate is a determining factor of the yield and quality in agricultural production systems. The objective of this work was to quantify the cumulative cold hours in Nayarit and to use this information as an agroclimatic indicator in the regionalization to produce cranberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.). The research used data from the network of agrometeorological stations in Nayarit, which consists of 38 automated stations that collected fifteen-minute data of 11 variables. With minimum temperature records, cold hours were calculated, which were organized by month and accumulation per year. Using a geographic information system, the distribution of annual cold hours (HFA) was cartographically represented, with interpolation and organization of the results in four phases (<299, 300-399, 400-499 and 500-699). For each HFA class, the area was quantified in each of the 20 municipalities. Finally, the precision of the interpolation model against a database outside the main data set was evaluated. The results show that only in 27.4% of the state surface accumulate more than 300 HFA which is the minimum requirement for cranberry. The thermal conditions for cranberry are mainly located in the center and south of the state, highlighting the municipalities of Compostela, Xalisco, Tepic, Santa María del Oro, Jala, La Yesca and Ixtlan del Río that represent 81.6% of the apt surface. The results are a precedent for the accumulation of cold hours in Nayarit and serve as a planning tool for decision makers, technicians and producers interested in the cultivation of cranberry.