smudge pot

agricultural tool

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Article History

smudge pot, device, usually an oil container with some crude oil burning in the bottom, used in fruit orchards, especially citrus groves, to provide protection against frost. The smoke serves as a blanket to reduce heat losses due to outgoing radiation. Because of the air pollution they generate smudge pots have been generally supplanted by other means of frost protection, such as smokeless burners using natural gas.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.