About 12% of winter crops may need to be resown in Ukraine

As of March 31, winter crops had resumed vegetation across the entire country, while early spring crops had already shown grain germination and seedling emergence.

This was reported in the March bulletin of the Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Center.

It is noted that the final transition of the average daily air temperature above +5°C occurred across most of the country on March 3–11 (2–3 weeks earlier than the long-term average), while in Sumy, as well as parts of Chernihiv, Cherkasy, and Kharkiv regions, it took place on March 22–26 (about 1–1.5 weeks earlier than average).

“Based on spring surveys of winter crop fields conducted by meteorological stations, most areas are in good and excellent condition. The total area of winter crops in unsatisfactory condition (requiring reseeding or overseeding) may amount to about 12% of the sown area,” specialists estimated.

According to assessments of fruit crops conducted in the first half of March, the loss of flower buds in apricot trees ranged from 13% to 33% in Kyiv and Kherson regions, and reached up to 51% in Mykolaiv region. Losses of cherry flower buds in Chernihiv, Kherson, and Mykolaiv regions ranged from 2% to 15%, while sweet cherry buds losses reached up to 14–16%. Data from hydrometeorological centers in Volyn, Sumy, Chernihiv, and Mykolaiv regions showed apple bud losses at 3–14%. No damage was recorded for peach, plum, pear, or grape crops.

“Sufficient warming and optimal moisture in the topsoil in southern and some western regions allowed farmers to begin sowing early spring grains and pulses ahead of schedule, already by mid-month,” the agency added.

According to soil temperature observations at a depth of 10 cm as of March 31, temperatures (7–15°C) were suitable for timely sowing of all early crops.

Despite a precipitation deficit in March, the topsoil remained well moistened in most areas; only in some parts of the southern, western, and Dnipropetrovsk regions was it weakly moistened or locally dry, the Hydrometeorological Center noted.

Productive moisture reserves under winter and early spring crops at the end of March were mostly sufficient and optimal. Only in some areas of the southern, western, and Vinnytsia regions were moisture levels below long-term averages for the early spring period. Spring soil saturation ranged from 65 to over 150 cm.

“March turned out to be the driest since 1991. Moisture loss was very rapid. An unfavorable factor was the low relative humidity typical for early spring. During the month, for 1 to 10 days (and up to 18 days in Zakarpattia), humidity across the country dropped to 30% or lower. Combined with moderate winds, this could lead to dry winds. With continued precipitation deficits, conditions for drought development may emerge in many areas in the near future,” meteorologists concluded.

Tags: Ukraine, crop condition