Snow cover and low temperatures play a key role in the development of a large number of agriculturally important plants. Extremely low temperatures can cause great damage or decay to plants, but certain plants, such as fruit trees, need such temperatures for normal growth and development. Survival of the pathogenes is also largely dependent on temperature. The snow cover acts as a thermal insulator, as the temperatures below it are higher and in this way the plants are more protected from extremely low temperatures. The presence or absence of snow cover is strongly related to the degree of decomposition and mineralization of nitrogen in the soil, affects the microbiological activity of the soil and biodiversity, the development of certain diseases. Due to the rising winter temperatures and the decrease in the height of the snow cover in recent times, much research is also being done on modeling these changes and their impact on future agricultural production.
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