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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Booneville, Arkansas » Dale Bumpers Small Farms Research Center » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #357508
Title: A study of the impacts of climate change scenarios on the plant hardiness zones of Albania

Author
item TEQJA, ZYDI - Agricultural University Of Tirana, Albania
item KOPALI, ALBERT - Agricultural University Of Tirana, Albania
item LIBOHOVA, ZAMIR - Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS, USDA)
item Owens, Phillip

Submitted to: American Meteorological Society
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/14/2016
Publication Date: 7/3/2016
Citation: Teqja, Z., Kopali, A., Libohova, Z., Owens, P.R. 2016. A study of the impacts of climate change scenarios on the plant hardiness zones of Albania. American Meteorological Society. https://doi.org/10.1175/JAMC-D-16-0108.1.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1175/JAMC-D-16-0108.1

Interpretive Summary: Small scale farmers and producers need to evaluate potentail crops that may support diversification. Crops and agricultural products depend on the correct climatic conditions. In this study, the climatic data in Albania were evaluated for grape production. This study indicated that 60-70% of the district of Tirana Albania had a suitable climate for vineyard grape production. Further study is needed to identify the local field scale information to propoerly site the ideal locations for vineyards to achieve the best production for small scale farms.

Technical Abstract: Temperature represents one of the factors with the greatest impact on growth and development of grapevines. Several bioclimatic indexes have been developed for determining the most suitable areas for grapevine cultivation. Winkler (WI) and Fregeoni (FI) indices are two widely used bioclimatic indicators that are based on air temperature. Tirana District, as the host of the capital of Albania, Tirana, is an important economic area with great potential for growing grapevine, especially for wine. The objective of this study was the assessment of vineyards bioclimatic suitability zones of Tirana Region based on WI and FI indices. Measured temperature indicators such as mean, maximum, minimum and amplitude (max-min) from 11 weather stations were used for this study along with precipitation and elevation. The WI varied from less than 1200oC to more than 2200oC indicating a wide suitability range for grapevines from “cold” to “hot”. Fregoni Index varied from 335 to 1527 with lower and higher values indicating less suitable conditions due to hot and cold climate conditions, respectively. About 60-70% of Tirana District area was evaluated as suitable for grapevines requiring warm, moderately hot and hot thermal conditions appropriate for late and very late growth and ripening stage grapevine cultivars. However, a wide range of climatic factors such as solar radiation, precipitation, relative humidity etc., and soils that are also critical for determining the most suitable areas for vineyards were not explicitly addressed in the study.