April 16 2004, 07:38 APK-Inform

Drop in temperature earlier this month caused damage to crops

According to Ukrainian weather centre, the sharp drop in air and soil temperature on the first days of April after a prolonged period of warm weather caused temporary cessation of vegetation and partial damage of farming crops. At some locations early spring crops have been killed.

Considerable damage of both grain crops and fruit trees was registered in southern region, where due to early intensive warmth the plants were better developed and therefore more sensitive to the effects of low temperatures.

According to preliminary data from examination of fields by agro-meteorologists, in the winter wheat and barley plantings of Kherson, Odessa Regions and the Crimea there has been damaged the vegetative mass (leaves, stalks). The damage affected mostly the winter crops, sown at the beginning of optimal terms to the dry soil and sown in late terms, which had made weak shootings in autumn and entered winter in weakened condition.

In the plantings of north-eastern regions, locally, there has been registered slight damage of the above-ground mass of winter crop plants, without loss of the growing-point. The plants in north-western and northern regions have not been damaged.

The examinations in southern, south-eastern regions and the Crimea have revealed damage and partial loss of spring barley and oat shootings, and also of thermophilic crops, such as mustard, rape and pea.

The frosts have caused mass damage to the early-efflorescing fruit trees in the southern part of the country.