The
growing season is the period during which
plant growth takes place, and is
usually measured in
days. Growing seasons vary depending on local
climate.
Geographical location, (latitude
and
altitude),
temperature, daylight hours (photoperiod),
and rainfall, may
all be critical
environmental factors. It can also vary by
crop, as different
plants have different
freezing thresholds.
In temperate
climates the growing season for
indigenous
vegetation and cultivated
crops (also called
Frost-free Season) is limited by
seasonal changes
in temperature and is defined as the period from the average date of
the last
killing frost of
spring and the first killing frost of
autumn, at
which time
annual plants die and
biennials
and
perennials cease active growth and become
dormant
for the cold winter months.
In
equatorial and
tropical
regions, in which there is less
seasonal temperature change, the growing season ordinarily lasts
all year and the
amount of available
moisture often
determines the periods of plant growth; in the
rainy season
growth is luxuriant and in the
dry season
many plants become
dormant.
In desert areas,
growth is almost wholly dependent on moisture.
In the Arctic the
growing season is short but concentrated; the number of
daylight hours is
so large that the total amount of
sunlight equals that of a temperate growing season with shorter
days,
Combinations of factors affect the growing season; For examples in
Mediterranean type of climate (with winter rainfall and dry
summers) plant growth occurs during the winter and dormancy during
the summer.
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