ISHS Acta Horticulturae 526: V International Symposium on Grapevine Physiology
WINE AND TABLE GRAPE PRODUCTION IN ISRAEL. PRESENT SITUATION AND FUTURE TRENDS |
| Author: | H. Bazak |
| Keywords: | Climate, soils, varieties, rootstocks, water, salinity, quality, fertilization |
| Abstract:
Israel, a Mediterranean country, is located in a subtropical zone with a dry summer and a rainy winter season. Although it is a very small country, considerable different climatic conditions prevail over very short distances. The coastal plain has a typical moderate Mediterranean climate buffered by the effect of the sea. A mountain ridge extending from the north to the very south of the country creates a barrier between the coastal plain and the inland valley, which is part of the great Afro-Asian depression. The western foothills adjacent to the coastal plain are located in a thermal inversion zone and thus significantly warmer than expected considering their distance from the sea. The mountains rising up to 900 m above sea level have a rather temperate climate in the north and a typical continental one in the south. The inland valley along the Jordan River starts in the north at about 10 m above sea level, drops to roughly 200 m below seal level at the lake of Galilee and reaches an extreme low of 400 m below sea level at the Dead Sea which is also the lowest place on earth. From there Further to the south it rises again, till with moderate ups and downs it reaches sea level at the Gulf of Eilat on the Red Sea. Even though the climate in the Jordan Valley is continental, its minimum winter temperatures only rarely drop below 7 °C. While the northern part of the country has a rather high rainfall of 800 mm/annum and in some years even more, in the south rainfall is very low and in some years there is no rain at all. Snow does occur occasionally every 2–3 years in the mountains above 500 m elevation. | |
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