Possible soil frost control by snow compaction on winter wheat fields

Abstract

The appropriate control of soil frost depth could potentially balance wheat production and kill unharvested potato tubers. We examined possible soil frost control by snow compaction on winter wheat, without reducing wheat productivity. The target soil frost depth was more than 0.3 m, because our previous studies indicated the complete kill of unharvested potato tubers at such depths. The target frost depth was achieved by two snow compaction events following the development of a decision-making system by our research group to accomplish appropriate frost depth for the frost-kill of unharvested potato tubers. The yield components of winter wheat were not significantly different between the designed and control (no compaction) practices. Frequent compaction significantly reduced grain yield by causing a decline in shoot dry weight and the number of spikelets. Our results indicate that soil frost depth control may contribute toward balancing both wheat yield and the frost-kill of unharvested potato tubers.

Bias correction for spatially interpolated daily mean air temperature during winter in eastern Hokkaido using multimodal machine learning

“…In terms of air temperatures in Japan, extremely low temperatures have sometimes been observed in northern regions during winter having thick and dry snowpack if the topographic and boundary layer conditions are suitable for strong cooling Kondo, 2000 . The winter air temperature affects the survival ratio and productivity of overwintering wheat e.g., Fowler et al, 1999;Shimoda et al, 2015 and fruit trees e.g., Ashworth and Wisniewski, 1991 . For example, the production of wine grapes has become widespread in Hokkaido during these decades Hirota et al, 2017 , and the winter air temperature determines suitable areas for wine grape cultivation to avoid frost damage Nemoto et al, 2016 .…”

Effects of snow compaction ‘yuki-fumi’ on soil frost depth and volunteer potato control in potato–wheat rotation system in Hokkaido

“…A previous study suggested the use of a snowcompaction practice, called 'yuki-fumi' (Shimoda et al, 2015) to enhance the thermal conductivity of snowpack during cold periods. The differences in the timing and frequency of snow compaction can reduce the thermal insulation effect of snowpack, leading to lower soil temperatures.…”

“…Low winter temperatures and thin snowpacks are beneficial for the development of frost over soil depth profile. In previous studies, snow compaction was performed in the central part of the Tokachi region Shimoda et al, 2015). Even the southern part (STO) of the Tokachi region often experiences a large amount of snowfall during early winter due to the strengthening of low pressure along the southern coast (Hirota et al, 2006).…”

Factors and Mechanisms Affecting the Air Temperature Distribution on a Clear Winter Night in a Snow-Covered Mesoscale Plain

“…Low temperatures negatively impact structures and agricultural products, including orchards. On the other hand, agricultural techniques have been developed in cold and snowy regions to use low temperatures in applications such as soil frostcontrol weeding (Hirota et al 2011(Hirota et al , 2013Shimoda et al 2015;Yanai et al 2017;Yazaki et al 2013b;Shimoda and Hirota 2018) or buildings and storage-area cooling (Kimura et al 2010). These applications increase the need for accu rate winter agrometeorological forecasts, especially for air temperature.…”