Expert workshop on spring frost protection in tree fruit production

It is springtime in Germany and our regional fruit growers suffer from the yearly worry of possible frost nights during tree blossom. There are many different methods to mitigate the damage by a frost event, for example overhead irrigation, paraffin candles or wind machines. But are these methods economically viable in the long run?

To help answer this question we recently held a two-day expert workshop to support German fruit growers in their operational decision on spring frost protection. Twenty experts including advisers, farmers, scientists and sales representatives joined, together with our colleagues Prof. Dr. Eike Luedeling, Dr. Cory Whitney,Lars Zimmermann, Zoe Heuschkel and Christine Schmitz. We introduced the experts to the decision analysis approaches, discussed relevant decisions and options, and collected a large collection of relevant factors that influence the system of fruit orchards and frost protection. The use of breakout sessions allowed us to foster discussions and exchanges between experts in this virtual format. In this way, everyone was able to contribute their knowledge and contribute to a successful workshop. We are grateful to all experts and colleagues who participated in the workshop and confident that we will generate an interesting decision analysis model.