JOURACA_SP_2017

Agricultural Responses and
Sensitivities to Microclimates
Steven Schultze
Precision agriculture is a topic of research
primarily in the fields of climatology and
agronomy. Precision agriculture is concerned
with soil data on a sub-field level,
which allows a grower to see a crop that
varies in yield and quality over space. It is
considered to be at the cutting edge of
agronomy by utilizing "Big Data" and modern
technologies to make better growing
decisions. However, precision agriculture
has not yet considered weather and climate
data. We measured microclimates on a subfield
level throughout a satsuma crop in
southwestern Mobile County, Alabama in
order to determine how growth is affected
on a micro scale. The satsuma trees are
planted among rows of pecan trees that provide
some shade for optimal growth. However,
not all the trees receive the same
amount of sunlight and shade, causing the
trees to grow at different rates and produce
varying amounts of fruit. Using microloggers
to collect temperature and humidity
data at each tree throughout the crop, we are
able to observe the microclimatic conditions
that effect each their growth. Twelve microloggers
were housed in PVC pipe stations at
the base of each tree six inches above the
ground. Data from the microloggers were
collected on a weekly basis. Differences in
temperature across the study area were
striking: there were times when the temperature
was as much as 10°C despite the fact
that the study area was only 50 x 25 meters
in size. We conclude that such temperature
Department of Earth Sciences
Earth Sciences
Mentor: Earth Sciences
differences exposes each individual tree to a
different climate in any given minute of any
given day, which then affects each tree differently
in terms of growth, disease pressure,
or fruit quality. Additionally, the number
of fruit on each tree was counted at the
beginning and end. After two months of data
collection, it was found that the satsuma
trees that received the most shade from the
pecan trees had the most growth and fruit
production. The data collected could benefit
a wide variety of clients in the agricultural
community, as well as climatologists and
meteorologists. Information on microclimates,
when combined with soil data, could
allow growers to pinpoint areas within the
crop site where growth will be maximized.
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