End of Conference season: grappling with data
The pear harvest has begun, bringing our measurement season to a close. For four months, we used our dendrometers connected to WolkyTolky to monitor the growth of Conference pears every day. Five regions, five lines, one story: this year we saw clearly again how weather influences, soil conditions, and ultimately the biology of the tree determine when growth stops.
📊Flattening in the final weeks
Looking at the growth curves, the growth flattens out strongly everywhere from the end of August. Where the pears were still 40 mm in size at the end of June, they now reach 74 to 81 mm. In the last ten days, there was often only an half a millimeter added. This is no coincidence: shorter days, cooler nights, and the natural transition from cell division to ripening ensure that the “elasticity goes out of the growth”.
Regional differences
Yet we see clear differences between the regions:
- Betuwe: the pears grew to the largest sizes (81 mm). The interplay of sufficient water and mild temperatures helped there.
- Zeeland: lagged behind (74 mm). Cooler conditions and many wet days suppressed growth in the final phase.
- Hageland (BE): experienced drought stress (soil tensions above 120 kPa), which slowed growth prematurely. Final size around 76 mm.
- Haspengouw and North Holland: remained around the seasonal average of 77 mm
Climate data last 14 days
We are shortly before the last picking day for the Conference pears. As a preview of what is possible in the analysis of data, we already show some interesting data from the last 14 days here.
Why this is important
What is striking: the cause of flattening differs per region. In Zeeland it was too wet, in Hageland too dry, in the Betuwe perfectly balanced. This shows how important it is to measure and understand local data. Not only to register, but especially to substantiate decisions: fertilization, irrigation, picking moment.
🌐WolkyTolky: more than measuring
Our dendrometers and WolkyTolky systems help growers not only to follow the growth line, but also to provide the explanation. By combining growth data with weather and soil moisture, you can see exactly why pears are standing still or just gaining a few millimeters.
With this season, we conclude our weekly updates. Later this year, a comprehensive seasonal report will follow together with our post holders. For now: good luck with the harvest and thank you for following!
These observations are based on dendrometer data from Noord-Holland, Betuwe, Zeeland, Hageland and Haspengouw. More research is needed to determine the practical applicability.