ABSTRACT
Current and past weather conditions can have a signiƒcant effect on plant growth, product yield, and product quality. Air temperature sequences, rainfall amounts and distribution, cloud cover, minutes of sunshine, and wind are records that must be examined when dealing with long-term or developing crop anomalies. Short and long periods of weather extremes will affect plant performance. Consistency of weather conditions can be as stressful on a plant as the cycling of weather conditions. Plant appearance at any point in time may be the result of earlier weather conditions, rather than current conditions. Previous-year weather conditions can have a carryover effect on plant growth in the current year, particularly rainfall. The fertility of a soil measured by a soil test will be affected by the previous year’s rainfall. A wet spring versus a dry spring will affect a soil test result determination equally.
