Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-fscjk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-25T06:40:25.115Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The relationship between mean temperature and accumulated temperature totals for maize in the central lowlands of England

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2009

E. S. Bunting
E. S. Bunting
Affiliation:
Plant Breeding Institute, Cambridge
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

In northern areas of maize production in Europe and America, increasing use is being made of the association between accumulated temperature and stage of crop development. Temperature is accumulated either in terms of day-degrees above a given base temperature, taken to be 10 °CC in the U.K., or in terms of developmental units (‘Ontario Units’). Formulae for obtaining the daily contribution from recorded maximum and minimum air temperatures are available for compiling accumulated temperature totals for each of these methods, but the processing of long series of data is tedious, even with the assistance of computer programs. Results are presented from several locations in the central lowlands of England to suggest that very close approximations to the true monthly or seasonal totals can be obtained from the regression relations with corresponding mean monthly or seasonal temperatures.

For the sites considered the regression equations were sufficiently close to make joint, ‘regional’, regression equations appropriate. It is believed that the results will be applicable to other areas of England, and that the methods suggested might provide a suitable basis for supplementing the information available on accumulated temperatures elsewhere in northern Europe.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Journal of Agricultural Science , Volume 93 , Issue 1 , August 1979 , pp. 157 - 169
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1979

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Brown, D. M. (1969). Heat units for corn in southern Ontario. Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food. Agdex 111/31.Google Scholar
Bunting, E. S. (1977). Accumulated temperature and maize development in England. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 87, 577–583.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hough, M N. (1975). Mapping areas of Britain suitable for maize on the basis of temperature. Agricultural Development and Advisory Service Quarterly Review 18, 64–72.Google Scholar
Manley, G. (1974). Central England temperatures: monthly means 1659 to 1973. Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society 100, 389–405.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Meteorological Office Met. 0 883 (1976). Averages of Temperature for the United Kingdom 1941–1970. London: H.M.S.O.Google Scholar
Shellard, H. C. (1959). Averages of accumulated temperature and standard deviations of monthly mean temperature over Britain, 1921–1950. Professional Notes Meteorological Office, London 8, no. 125.Google Scholar
Thom, H. C. S. (1954). Normal degree days below any base. Monthly Weather Review, Washington, D.C. 82, 111.2.0.CO;2>CrossRefGoogle Scholar