As I mentioned in the comment to my last post, I am out of town and unable to run a MaluSim simulation until I have access to my lab computer on Friday. However, I just compared the predicted temperatures and sunlight levels that I used as inputs for the model I ran on Monday (April 30), and the current forecast. For the next few days, the Winchester area is predicted to have slightly warmer day time temps and slightly cooler night temps than previously forecast, but overall the temperature forecasts match up reasonably well (see table below). There will be thundershowers over the next few days, which makes predicting total daily light levels difficult. However, the warmer day temps will like drive the carbohydrate status in the tree to be more negative (that is, in a greater deficit). My interpretation of Monday’s model was to expect average to slightly greater than average responses from chemical thinners. With today’s forecasts, I suspect that apple trees will be even more responsive to chemical thinners for the next three days (Thurs-Sat). I’ll verify this when I run the model again on Friday.