MARS: Autumn sowing 2020 better than initially feared In its Nov report, the Agrometeorological Institute of the EU Commission (MARS) has put into perspective the impairments to the harvest of late fruits and the sowing of winter fruits 2020 feared in previous editions. The climate data in the period from Beg. October to mid-November 2020 have improved in many regions. In most of the northern regions of Europe, the autumn sowing was successfully completed with the currently good seed rate. The rainfall came in the right amount, even if the soil water supplies could not be fully replenished. The favorable rainfall often came too late for the rapeseed . The acreage has been reduced accordingly. Less favorable conditions due to unsuitable periods of precipitation have occurred in south-eastern European countries from the Czech Republic to Hungary .Farther east to the Caspian Sea there were above-average temperatures, which led to dry conditions. The southern cultivation regions of Russia in particular suffered from a lack of rainfall. These are the priority areas of Russian grain production. The seeds are not well prepared for winter. One hopes for a mild winter with sufficient snow cover. The expectations of the new harvest have fallen sharply. This also had an impact on falling prices.
