28. Chill accumulation in cherry with Dr Shane Phillips

Cherries need a resting phase and I've always found if I started getting chill at the end of April, I had a good season.

It was home and host.

I would have a great season.

And then historically, for me in our area, it was around about the 15th to the 18th of May is the historical time when chill would start.

Unfortunately, sometimes it's gone out to the latest, the 8th of June.

There's three main ways of monitoring and it's, you've got the Utah, you've got your portions and you've got the dynamic model as well.

I started with the Richardson Sure model.

That's what I was doing in 2000.

I've stayed with that because I've got constant error.

It's the same.

I can look back this season, I can go back to 2000, I know exactly where I'm pitched on a day-by-day basis historically.

I was discussing the chill portions with someone, a researcher rang me up about that, and they're now finding some errors in their modelling as well.

It works differently under different climatic zones.

And I said, the thing is, it's knowing where you are and where you fit.

And I said, to me, it's not the number of hours, it's hours over time.

And I've had discussions with people about that thing.

I want you at the hours you find.

I said, no, it's hours over time.

The tree needs to rest for a certain amount of time.

And it was really nice this year.

I had some photos sent to me from a grower in Redcliffs in Victoria.

who had sprayed off his leaves at different times.

Same valve, same variety.

He sprayed off half earlier than the other.

So everything's the same.