[PP06] Annual growing season length
Key message
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
Meteorological data archive, Slovenian Environment Agency, 2021
| 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 |
Meteorological data archive, Slovenian Environment Agency, 2021
| 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 |
Climate change atlas, 2021
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.
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.
Methodology
- EEA, 2016. Growing season for agricultural crops (CLIM 030).
- EEA, 2012. Growing season for agricultural crops (CLIM 030)
- Ranljivost slovenskega kmetijstva in gozdarstva na podnebno spremenljivost in ocena predvidenega vpliva. 2003. ARSO. Dostopno na: http://meteo.arso.gov.si/uploads/probase/www/agromet/product/document/s…
- Izzivi Slovenije na področju suš in degradacije tal. 2010. ARSO. Dostopno na:
- Podnebna spremenljivost Slovenije. Glavne značilnosti gibanja temperature zraka (1961-2011). ARSO, 2013. Dostopno na: http://meteo.arso.gov.si/uploads/probase/www/climate/text/sl/publicatio… (7.9.2017)
- Strategija prilagajanja slovenskega kmetijstva in gozdarstva podnebnim spremembam. Dostopno na: http://agromet.mkgp.gov.si/Publikacije/STRATEGIJA%20prilagajanja.pdf (7.9.2017)
- Strateški okvir prilagajanja podnebnim spremembam. 2016 Dostopno na: http://www.mop.gov.si/fileadmin/mop.gov.si/pageuploads/podrocja/podnebn… (7.9.2017)
- Ocena podnebnih sprememb v Sloveniji do konca 21.stoletja. Povzetek dejavnikov okolja z vplivom na kmetijstvo in gozdarstvo. 2018. ARSO. Dostopno na: http://meteo.arso.gov.si/uploads/probase/www/climate/text/sl/publications/povzetek-podnebnih-sprememb-agro.pdf (15.10.2019)
- Ocena podnebnih sprememb do konca 21. stoletja. Sintezno poročilo. Prvi del. 2018. ARSO. Dostopno na: http://meteo.arso.gov.si/uploads/probase/www/climate/text/sl/publications/OPS21_Porocilo.pdf (15.10.2019)
- Atlas podnebnih sprememb. Dostopno na: http://www.meteo.si/uploads/probase/www/climate/OPS21/Priloge-app/#/izbor (16.10.2019)