scholarly journals Development of a New USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map for the United States

2012 ◽  
Vol 51 (2) ◽  
pp. 242-264 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Daly ◽  
Mark P. Widrlechner ◽  
Michael D. Halbleib ◽  
Joseph I. Smith ◽  
Wayne P. Gibson
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Minimum Temperature ◽  
Complex Terrain ◽  
The United States ◽  
Perennial Plant ◽  
Station Data ◽  
Extreme Minimum Temperature ◽  
Primary Reference ◽  
Winter Cold ◽  
Plant Hardiness

AbstractIn many regions of the world, the extremes of winter cold are a major determinant of the geographic distribution of perennial plant species and of their successful cultivation. In the United States, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) is the primary reference for defining geospatial patterns of extreme winter cold for the horticulture and nursery industries, home gardeners, agrometeorologists, and plant scientists. This paper describes the approaches followed for updating the USDA PHZM, the last version of which was published in 1990. The new PHZM depicts 1976–2005 mean annual extreme minimum temperature, in 2.8°C (5°F) half zones, for the conterminous United States, Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico. Station data were interpolated to a grid with the Parameter-Elevation Regressions on Independent Slopes Model (PRISM) climate-mapping system. PRISM accounts for the effects of elevation, terrain-induced airmass blockage, coastal effects, temperature inversions, and cold-air pooling on extreme minimum temperature patterns. Climatologically aided interpolation was applied, based on the 1971–2000 mean minimum temperature of the coldest month as the predictor grid. Evaluation of a standard-deviation map and two 15-yr maps (1976–90 and 1991–2005 averaging periods) revealed substantial vertical and horizontal gradients in trend and variability, especially in complex terrain. The new PHZM is generally warmer by one 2.8°C (5°F) half zone than the previous PHZM throughout much of the United States, as a result of a more recent averaging period. Nonetheless, a more sophisticated interpolation technique, greater physiographic detail, and more comprehensive station data were the main causes of zonal changes in complex terrain, especially in the western United States. The updated PHZM can be accessed online (http://www.planthardiness.ars.usda.gov).

The generation of USDA-equivalent extreme minimum temperature models and a comparison with Canada’s plant hardiness zones

2006 ◽  
Vol 86 (2) ◽  
pp. 511-523 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel W. McKenney ◽  
Michael Hutchinson, Pia Papadopol ◽  
Kathy Campbell ◽  
Kevin Lawrence
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Minimum Temperature ◽  
Smoothing Splines ◽  
The United States ◽  
United States Department ◽  
Perennial Plant ◽  
Mapping Tool ◽  
Extreme Minimum Temperature ◽  
Local Use ◽  
Plant Hardiness

Hardiness zones are widely used in North America to support the trade of plants and recommendations on local use of perennial plant species. In Canada, two zonation approaches are in use, a made-in-Canada model that integrates seven climate variables and the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) extreme minimum temperature map/model. In this paper we develop and present several extreme minimum temperature models for the 1961–1990 and 1971–2000 climate normal periods and annual models for the winter seasons of 1961 through 2000. These models are similar in nature to the USDA plant hardiness model/map. We compare these models with a recent update of the Canadian plant hardiness zones developed with the same mathematical interpolation techniques (thin plate smoothing splines). Individual Canadian zones typically span five to nine USDA equivalent sub-zones in total, although most of the area (>75%) of each zone generally spans 3–4 USDA sub-zones. We note that there is no simple transformation of one zonation approach to the other, but values for both systems can now be obtained for any location in Canada using an internet mapping tool. Over the period of 1961–2000 extreme minimum temperature has been trending upward in most provinces. These trends may be affecting plants in some locations, but a lack of survival and/or hardiness data is a significant impediment to assessing this. Variation in extreme minimum temperature over the 1961 to 2000 period was greatest in western North America, particularly interior British Columbia. Key words: Climate mapping and trends, spatial analysis, ANUSPLIN

scholarly journals Horticultural Applications of a Newly Revised USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map

2012 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 6-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark P. Widrlechner ◽  
Christopher Daly ◽  
Markus Keller ◽  
Kim Kaplan
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Low Temperature ◽  
Climatic Factors ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Management And Development ◽  
Extreme Minimum Temperature ◽  
Site Evaluation ◽  
Plant Hardiness

The accurate prediction of winter injury caused by low-temperature events is a key component of the effective cultivation of woody and herbaceous perennial plants. A common method employed to visualize geographic patterns in the severity of low-temperature events is to map a climatological variable that closely correlates with plant survival. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) is constructed for that purpose. We present a short history of PHZM development, culminating in the recent production of a new, high-resolution version of the PHZM, and discuss how such maps relate to winterhardiness per se and to other climatic factors that affect hardiness. The new PHZM is based on extreme minimum-temperature data logged annually from 1976 to 2005 at 7983 weather stations in the United States, Puerto Rico, and adjacent regions in Canada and Mexico. The PHZM is accessible via an interactive website, which facilitates a wide range of horticultural applications. For example, we highlight how the PHZM can be used as a tool for site evaluation for vineyards in the Pacific northwestern United States and as a data layer in conjunction with moisture-balance data to predict the survival of Yugoslavian woody plants in South Dakota. In addition, the new map includes a zip code finder, and we describe how it may be used by governmental agencies for risk management and development of recommended plant lists, by horticultural firms to schedule plant shipments, and by other commercial interests that market products seasonally.

scholarly journals Uso y manejo de Ibervillea millspaughii (Cogn.) C. Jeffrey, Melothria pendula L. y otras especies silvestres de la familia Cucurbitacea: Posibles procesos de domesticación incipiente

2017 ◽  
pp. 77
Author(s):  
Rafael Lira ◽  
Alejandro Casas
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Traditional Medicine ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Wild Species ◽  
The United States ◽  
Plant Domestication ◽  
Wild Populations ◽  
Perennial Plant ◽  
Muscular Pain ◽  
Stems And Leaves

Information on use and management of wild species of Cucurbitaceae is presented, in order to analyze processes of incipient plant domestication. Ibervillea millspaughii is a perennial plant species with massive roots, distributed from Tamaulipas to Belize. Roots of this species are utilized as medicine in the treatment of arthritis, inflammations and muscular pain. Roots are commonly collected from individuals in wild populations, but, in some villages of Quinatana Roo people tolerate and enhance individuals of this plant species in anthropogenic areas; also, people cultivate this plant species in home gardens. Melothria pendula is distributed from the United States to Argentina. Fruits and young stems and leaves of this species are consumed as food and used in traditional medicine. These products are generally gathered from wild or weedy populations, but in La Montaña de Guerrero region, the tolerance of this species and the intentional dispersion of its seeds in anthropogenic areas are also common, in order to increase its availability. Use and propagation of this plant species may involve selection by people who distinguish between "bitter" and "sweet" variants, preferring the "sweet" ones. Sicyos parviflorus, Cyclanthera dissecta, C. langaei and C. ribiflora are consumed as greens by people in different regions of Mexico, who gather them from wild or weedy populations, although individual plants of these species are also tolerated in anthropogenic areas. The different forms of management identified in the species mentioned are possibly causing processes of domestication, but such processes are yet to be evaluated.

scholarly journals Performance of Landscape Roses Grown with Minimal Input in the North-central, Central, and South-central United States

2017 ◽  
Vol 27 (5) ◽  
pp. 718-730 ◽  
Author(s):  
David C. Zlesak ◽  
Randy Nelson ◽  
Derald Harp ◽  
Barbara Villarreal ◽  
Nick Howell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
National Level ◽  
The United States ◽  
The South ◽  
Flower Number ◽  
North Central ◽  
The North ◽  
South Central ◽  
Central United States ◽  
Plant Hardiness

Landscape roses (Rosa sp.) are popular flowering shrubs. Consumers are less willing or able to maintain landscape beds than in years past and require plants that are not only attractive, but well-adapted to regional climatic conditions, soil types, and disease and pest pressures. Marketing and distribution of rose cultivars occurs on a national level; therefore, it is difficult for U.S. consumers in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Plant Hardiness Zones 3 to 5 to identify well-adapted, cold-hardy cultivars. Identifying suitable cultivars that have strong genetic resistance to pests and disease and that will tolerate temperature extremes without winter protection in the USDA Plant Hardiness Zones 3 to 5 is of tremendous value to consumers and retailers in northern states. Twenty landscape rose cultivars, primarily developed in north-central North America, were evaluated at five locations in the United States (three in the north-central United States, one in the central United States, and one in the south-central United States) using the low-input, multiyear Earth-Kind® methodology. Six roses had ≥75% plant survival at the end of the study and were in the top 50% of performers for overall mean horticultural rating at each of the three north-central U.S. sites: ‘Lena’, ‘Frontenac’, ‘Ole’, ‘Polar Joy’, ‘Sunrise Sunset’, and ‘Sven’. Five of these six roses met the same criteria at the central United States (exception ‘Lena’) and the south-central United States (exception ‘Polar Joy’) sites. Cultivar, rating time, and their interaction were highly significant, and block effects were not significant for horticultural rating for all single-site analyses of variance. Significant positive correlations were found between sites for flower number, flower diameter, and overall horticultural rating. Significant negative correlations were found between flower number and diameter within each site and also between black spot (Diplocarpon rosae) lesion size from a previous study and overall horticultural rating for three of the five sites. Cane survival ratings were not significantly correlated with overall horticultural rating, suggesting some cultivars can experience severe winter cane dieback, yet recover and perform well. Data from this study benefit multiple stakeholders, including nurseries, landscapers, and consumers, with evidence-based regional cultivar recommendations and breeders desiring to identify regionally adapted parents.

scholarly journals Evaluation of GA4+7 plus 6-Benzyladenine as a Frost-rescue Treatment for Apple

2014 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 171-176 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven McArtney ◽  
Duane Greene ◽  
Terence Robinson ◽  
James Wargo
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Minimum Temperature ◽  
Fruit Set ◽  
The United States ◽  
Parthenocarpic Fruit ◽  
Market Prices ◽  
Fruit Number ◽  
Rescue Treatment ◽  
Production Areas ◽  
Stimulation Of

Freeze events during bloom can be a relatively frequent occurrence in many apple (Malus ×domestica) production areas in the United States that significantly reduce orchard productivity and profitability. This study investigated the potential for a proprietary mixture of gibberellin A4 + A7 and 6-benzyladenine (GA4+7 plus 6-BA) to increase fruit set and cropping of apple following freeze events at three locations across the United States during bloom in 2012. GA4+7 plus 6-BA increased fruit set in two of five experiments, and increased fruit number and yield per tree in three of five experiments. GA4+7 plus 6-BA increased fruit set and yield of ‘Taylor Spur Rome’ following freezes on two consecutive days during bloom when the minimum temperature reached 23.9 and 28.4 °F. Fruit set was increased due to a stimulation of parthenocarpic fruit growth. Using locally obtained market prices, GA4+7 plus 6-BA treatments increased the crop value of ‘Taylor Spur Rome’, ‘Ginger Gold’, and ‘Jonagold’ by $3842, $977, and $6218 per acre, respectively. Although GA4+7 plus 6-BA application(s) after a freeze increased fruit set and cropping in some instances, tree yields were well below the average yields previously obtained in the test orchards.

scholarly journals Status and potential distribution of the Asian carpenter bee, Xylocopa appendiculata Smith (Apidae, Xylocopini), in the United States

2020 ◽  
Vol 76 ◽  
pp. 99-111
Author(s):  
Allan H. Smith-Pardo ◽  
Glenn A. Fowler ◽  
Sunil Kumar
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
United States Of America ◽  
Potential Distribution ◽  
The United States ◽  
Eastern Asia ◽  
Diagnostic Features ◽  
Carpenter Bee ◽  
Maxent Modeling ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Plant Hardiness

We update the geographical distribution for Xylocopa appendiculata Smith, from eastern Asia, which was first reported from the United States of America (USA) in 2013. After the publication by Dahlberg et al. (2013), there have been more sightings supporting the establishment of X. appendiculata in northern California. We used plant hardiness zones and maximum entropy (Maxent) modeling to estimate the potential distribution of X. appendiculata in the USA using specimen data from multiple occurrences (confirmed data from literature, museum specimens and validated data from Discover Life.org and iNaturalist.org). We include images and a list of diagnostic features for the identification of the subgenus Alloxylocopa Hurd and Moure and the species X. appendiculata so that it can be identified and reported to corresponding state or federal authorities, if necessary.

scholarly journals Preliminary Studies on Propagation of Osha

2004 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 141-143 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen L. Panter ◽  
Rebecca E. Ashley ◽  
Karin M. Guernsey ◽  
Caroline M. Johnson
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Vegetative Propagation ◽  
Rocky Mountain ◽  
The United States ◽  
Mountain Region ◽  
Perennial Plant ◽  
Rocky Mountain Region ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Ligusticum Porteri ◽  
Seed Propagation

Osha (Ligusticum porteri) is a perennial plant native to the Rocky Mountain region of the United States and has been used as a medicinal herb to alleviate certain ailments caused by viruses, yeasts, and other microbes. It is generally harvested in the wild and is believed to be in danger of overharvest. The objectives of this study were to determine if osha could be grown successfully from seeds, seeds still attached to umbels, root cuttings, and/or vegetative crown cuttings. Seeds were harvested from the wild in Fall 2000. Roots were collected in May 2001. Seeds, either detached or attached to umbels, were given one of four treatments: 1) no stratification; 2) 6 weeks at 4.4 °C (40 °F); 3) 4 weeks each alternating 4.4 °C, then 12 hour 20.0 °C (68 °F) and 12 hours 30.0 °C (86 °F); or 4) 12 weeks at 4.4 °C. Roots were divided into crown cuttings, each containing a vegetative node, and were placed on a 21.1 °C (70 °F) mist propagation bench until rooted. Twelve weeks of stratification, whether seed was detached or attached to umbels, were beneficial for germination of osha seeds, but only gave about 11% emergence. Propagation from root cuttings was not successful. Propagation via vegetative crown cuttings was most successful, with 90% of cuttings rooting. Vegetative propagation of osha appears to be the most promising method, preferable over seed propagation.

scholarly journals Disease Dynamics of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum on Stevia in North Carolina

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 112-113 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alyssa M. Koehler ◽  
H. David Shew
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
North Carolina ◽  
Disease Progression ◽  
Sclerotinia Sclerotiorum ◽  
The United States ◽  
Disease Dynamics ◽  
Disease Cycle ◽  
Perennial Plant ◽  
New Crop

Stevia is a perennial plant being introduced as a new crop to the United States. In 2014-2016, ascospore trapping was conducted to better understand the disease cycle of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum on stevia. In 2016, individual plants were flagged and monitored to quantify symptomatic stems and disease progression.

scholarly journals A Method to Detect Inhomogeneities in Historical Dewpoint Temperature Series

2009 ◽  
Vol 48 (11) ◽  
pp. 2362-2376 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paula J. Brown ◽  
Arthur T. DeGaetano
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Minimum Temperature ◽  
The United States ◽  
Temperature Data ◽  
Temperature Series ◽  
Daily Minimum Temperature ◽  
Reference Series ◽  
Sparse Network ◽  
Dewpoint Temperature ◽  
Time Period

Abstract Hourly dewpoint temperature data for the 1951–2006 period at 10 stations in the contiguous United States were investigated to determine if inhomogeneities in their records could be detected. At least three instrument changes are known to have occurred during this time period. The relatively sparse network of stations with dewpoint temperature data in the United States necessitated a nonconventional method to create a reference series. Utilizing nighttime occurrences of fog, clear/calm conditions, and precipitation as meteorological situations during which dewpoint temperatures and minimum temperatures are similar, three potential reference series based on daily minimum temperature were developed to test for inhomogeneities. Four stations with independent network neighbors recording hourly dewpoint data provided a direct validation of the effect of inhomogeneities on dewpoint temperatures. It was determined that fog conditions and the combined results from all three meteorologically based tests performed best when detecting documented inhomogeneities. However, a larger number of undocumented inhomogeneities, a feature common in most traditional inhomogeneity tests, were also detected that may or may not be valid.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document