Epsilon Archive for Student Projects

Abstract

The aim with this work has been to examine the climate changes and what these has meant, and will mean during the present century, for plants that have not been hardy in Sweden. A lot of new species can probably be grown today in Sweden's most southern parts, due to an increase in the average annual temperature by 1˚C. There is a need of information about these new species and their hardiness. The insufficient information about the subject has been the background to this work. Initially in this work there is an overall description of what hardiness is and what factors that decide how cold hardy a plant is. Cold hardiness is a complex attribute with several contributing factors. Important factors are the plant structure, if it is a woody or herbaceous plant, but also the ability to cold acclimation is important. The climate is the crucial factor behind which plants that can be cultivated. The climate is explained briefly in the part” climate” and which climate models there are and what this mean from a cultivation side of view. The latest climate models from SMHI indicate an increase in the average annual temperature to about 4-5˚C from the period of 1961-1990 to the year of 2100. Thereafter follows a short description of a few of the new species that today, or within a pair of decades, can be cultivated in the most southern part of Sweden. New species will get available due to the rising temperature. At the end I share my own reflections around the subject.