Despite the significant advances that agriculture has made in recent decades, climate variability remains a major challenge for the success of agricultural production. Among climate factors, temperature plays an important role, which, although necessary for the accumulation of degree days and chill hours in most deciduous fruit trees, a drop below the critical temperature that a crop can withstand will result in physiological damage and significant production losses, affecting the economic returns of production.
It is well documented and accepted today that the climate change we are experiencing will impact extreme weather events in terms of frequency and severity, among which is the number of events with extreme temperatures, either heat or cold. Maximum temperature extremes and heatwaves have become more recurrent (Messeguer-Ruiz et al., 2019) and it is expected that the frequency and magnitude of these will increase due to climate change (Piticar, 2018). This correlates with what farmers have been experiencing in recent seasons.
The data analyzed through Agromet recorded more than 40 frost episodes in 2022, with a critical event reaching even -6.7°C in the coastal area of the O'Higgins region, on May 30, 2022.
Controlling frosts in Chile in the year 2023
To control frosts, there are various control methods that are currently effective and being implemented in the south-central part of the country. Among them, the most effective is the use of water sprinkler systems over crops, which according to the literature can control frosts of up to 5 degrees Celsius below zero, depending on the amount of water used, the uniformity of the spraying, and the type of sprinkler.
The use of sprinkler systems to control frosts has several advantages over the use of wind towers or heaters.
According to Snyder and Melo-Abreu (2010), the amount of energy required for control with sprinklers is considerably lower than that required with wind tower systems, helicopters, or heaters, and therefore the operating costs per hour are lower. Additionally, the amount of labor needed is lower and it is not polluting to the environment.
For example, it does not interfere with the migration routes of birds, compared to wind towers, heaters, or helicopters. It also has no noise impacts, and the consequent impacts on local communities, with savings on diesel and gas and the associated reduction in CO2 emissions. In turn, it allows for high precision in the area to be controlled and proves to be the most cost-effective per hectare of the market alternatives.
Climate change and more extreme temperatures are a reality that is here to stay, and the Chilean agricultural industry, a pioneer in the development of innovative solutions, is undoubtedly an example to follow globally in adopting technologies to mitigate them.
