Annual growing season length | Environmental indicators

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Annual growing season length is increasing almost everywhere in Europe, mostly in Eastern and Northern part. In Slovenia, the length of the annual growing season is increasing, especially since mid-1990s. According to projections, the duration of the annual growing season throughout Europe will increase in future. This will affect the expansion of more thermally demanding plants to areas towards the north of Europe, where the cultivation of such plants has not been possible so far, and in the southern part of Europe where changed thermal conditions will allow the growing season to extend towards the winter season. In all parts of Central and South-Eastern Europe, dry and hot summers will hamper crop production.

Definition

The length of the annual growing season is the period between the day when the average daily air temperature in spring exceeds 5°C and the day when it drops below this value in autumn.

An air temperature of 5°C is generally recognised to be the lowest temperature threshold for plant vegetation. The 5°C temperature threshold is also used as one of the conditions for the classification of agro-ecological zones. In the context of climate change, it enables assessing the impact of changing climate on the development of plants and their environment. This indicator also serves as a tool in preparing for adaptation to new conditions, thus minimising the potential negative impacts of climate change.

Charts

Figure PP06-1: Average length of annual growing season within individual places, Slovenia, reference periods 1961-1990 and 1991-2020

Sources:

Meteorological data archive, Slovenian Environment Agency, 2021

Show data


	1961-1990[number of days]	1991-2020[number of days]
Ljubljana	244	256
Novo mesto	238	249
Bilje	270	283
Godnje	259	278
Murska Sobota	236	245
Maribor	238	248
Rateče	187	199

Export Table Data

Figure PP06-2: Changes in annual growing season length in Ljubljana, 1961-2022

Sources:

Meteorological data archive, Slovenian Environment Agency, 2021

Show data


	growing season length[number of days]	5-year running average[number of days]
1961	278
1962	226
1963	248	250
1964	255	239.40
1965	243	247.80
1966	225	246.60
1967	268	242.40
1968	242	240.40
1969	234	244.60
1970	233	245.20
1971	246	239.80
1972	271	243.80
1973	215	250
1974	254	248.40
1975	264	249.60
1976	238	257.60
1977	277	258.40
1978	255	251
1979	258	252.40
1980	227	243.80
1981	245	240.80
1982	234	236
1983	240	232.40
1984	234	231.80
1985	209	231
1986	242	228.40
1987	230	231.80
1988	227	241.80
1989	251	240.60
1990	259	251.20
1991	236	250
1992	283	254.60
1993	221	248.80
1994	274	250.60
1995	230	243.60
1996	245	245.20
1997	248	242.40
1998	229	252.80
1999	260	252.80
2000	282	259
2001	245	260.40
2002	279	262
2003	236	255.20
2004	268	260.60
2005	248	257.80
2006	272	258.20
2007	265	253.60
2008	238	254.40
2009	245	249.20
2010	252	251
2011	246	250.20
2012	274	256.20
2013	234	258.60
2014	275	260.40
2015	264	259.80
2016	255	260
2017	271	262
2018	235	268
2019	285	265.80
2020	294	261.60
2021	244
2022	250

Export Table Data

Figure PP06-3: Timeline of change for the length, beginning and end of growing season in Ljubljana over the 21st century

Sources:

Climate change atlas, 2021

Chart note:

The timeline of change is shown for temperature threshold 5 °C for two scenarios relative to the reference period 1981-2010. Bold coloured curves show smoothed model median and lighter colours show model spread. Under RCP4.5 the growing season length will increase by approximately 25 days and under RCP8.5 by approximately 60 days.

Figure PP06-4: Change in annual growing season length of crops, Europe, 1985-2014

Sources:

EEA, Growing season for agricultural crops (CLIM 030), 2014

Goals

• To estimate the effect of climate change on the growing season length
• To prepare adaptation measures for climate change and reduce the possible consequences.

Annual growing season lenght is an important measure in the field of the climate change adaptation. The first package of the EU Climate Change Adaptation Strategy was presented in 2013. The main objectives of the strategy are to provide a database for better decision-making and to promote adaptation in most vulnerable sectors.