Climate availability for apple trees in Vacaria, southern Brazil/Disponibilidades climaticas para macieira na regiao de Vacaria, RS

This study aimed to evaluate the variability and temporal tendency for the main climate parameters--air maximum, minimum and mean temperatures, chilling hours (bellow to 7°C), pluvial precipitation, and relative air humidity --in the 1983-2009 period, focusing to evaluate the climate conditions for Gala and Fuji apple groups, in Vacaria, Brazil. Daily weather data in the 1983-2009 series were compared to climate means of the 1931-1960 and 1961-1990 periods, for analyzing the temporal trends. The annual pluvial precipitation showed significant differences in comparing the 1983-2009 series to both the climate means, with increments of 479 and 256mm, respectively. There were no significant differences in monthly air temperatures among the analyzed periods. The pluvial precipitation in spring season and the annual mean of minimum air temperature showed significant tendencies for increasing. The mean number of 657chilling hours was from May to August. The minimum number of chilling hours defined zoning of agroclimatic is achieved in most of the years, in Vacaria, however, does not mean the natural breaking of bud dormancy the apple tree. Otherwise, the number of chilling hours had a significant tendency for reducing.