September 9 2005, 13:19 APK-Inform

Poor conditions for winter crop planting will persist in Ukraine till mid-September - weather centre

Highly unfavourable conditions for planting winter crops will be persistent Ukraine until mid-September, Ukraine's weather centre (Centre for Hydro-Meteorology) said in a release September 9. According to operative reports, the areas with insufficient levels of soil moisture for winter crops planting might share 40 to 50 percent of the country's total farmland, it said.

The centre's specialists said conditions for preparation of soil and winter crops planting in optimal terms in northern part of Ukraine had been highly unfavourable. Within the last 20 to 25 days the area has been receiving none effective rainfall. The total shortage of rainfall in northern, north-western and north-eastern regions, where optimal terms for planting have arrived or are passing, has average 80 to 95 percent.

The long-time retention of anticyclonal weather pattern with increased daytime air and topsoil temperatures and absence of effective rainfall have caused almost complete drying of the upper 10-cm soil layer. Moisture reserves in ploughing layer (20-cm) on most of the areas are ranging within 5 to 15 mm.

In western regions the moisture stocks in the ploughing layer are predominantly good, i.e. 21 to 40 mm. In southern, eastern and central regions, where the optimal sowing terms arrive slightly later, the moisturising of soil, similarly to the northern areas, is predominantly bad.

Crop specialists of weather centre warn that even if weather conditions in spring appear very friendly, the mentioned factors will inevitably tell on the future grain crop.

According to weather forecast, no significant changes in weather pattern are expected in Ukraine until September 15. The weather will keep predominantly warm and dry. Mixed intensity rains might fall on September 12-13, but these are not expected to improve situation in general, because on further days the weather will return under influence of an increased pressure zone and no new precipitations are to be expected.

Agrarian Policy Ministry forecasts the area of winter cereals to be planted for the 2005/06 crop at 7.65 million hectares. According to operative reports, out of this area there have already been sown 926,500 hectares, including 776,700 hectares of wheat (12 percent of forecast), 99,200 hectares of rye (16 percent) and 2,300 hectares of barley (below 1 percent). Rapeseeds have been sown on 328,400 hectares (66 percent).

Last year the area of winter crops made 7.62 million hectares, including 7.46 million hectares of cereals planted for grain use.