MARS: Mild start to winter - low expression of winter hardiness in cereals
The Agricultural Meteorological Institute of the EU Commission (MARS) has evaluated the nearly two-month climate data from 1 November to 19 Dec. 2019 for the European region in terms of regional deviations from the long-term average and the level of winter hardiness in wheat.
Im Westen und zentralen Europa hat es vergleichsweise milde Temperaturen gegeben, so dass sich bisher keine Winterhärte bei den Pflanzen entwickeln konnte. Durch Einwirkung kalter Temperaturen verwandelt sich in den Pflanzenzellen Stärke in Zucker. Damit wird das Platzen der Zellen bei Frosteinbrüchen erheblich reduziert. Die Funktionsweise ist ähnlich der des Frostschutzmittels im Kühler eines Motors.
Sollte jedoch in diesen Gebieten ein starker Frosteinbruch ohne nennenswerte Schneedecke kommen, ist mit erheblichen Auswinterungsschäden zu rechnen.
Frost damage has already occurred in the Volga region . Temperatures of -10 degrees Celsius have damaged the plants without protective snow cover. Reseeding was hardly possible , only summer sowing remains, but with lower yield potential.
In other parts of southern Russia, the Ukraine and regions along the Black Sea , a partial winter hardiness has emerged so far. A low winter hardiness is noted for the eastern parts of Poland .
In the southern parts of France and Germany, far into Italy , temperatures have been above average. In parts of Germany, Poland and some south-eastern European regions , there is still a lack of sufficient rainfall. This also applies to the central district of Russia and the northern parts of Ukraine .
In contrast, western regions of the UK, French Brittany and northern Portugal have been abundantly rainy.
So far, winter crops have developed differently in different regions. At sites that are susceptible to water, the mild temperatures have ensured rapid growth of the grains, which have often come late into the soil. In other areas with a persistent lack of water , stocks are sometimes very lax.
For the upcoming winter time, one can only hope that enough snow will fall before a cold snap and that the freezing temperatures will not be too fast or too low.
