Frost tolerance for winter cereals in the European Union is much lower than usual this year due to above-average temperatures, the EU's monitoring service MARS announced today.
Autumn sowing in Europe has been disrupted by heavy rains in western countries and drought in some eastern regions, causing crops such as wheat to lose their usual pre-winter growth rate.
"Thermal conditions have been much milder than usual in central, eastern and south-eastern Europe," says a monthly report from MARS.
"The current situation is delicate as winter crops in many of these regions are underdeveloped due to delayed sowing and insufficient soil moisture, which, combined with reduced cold tolerance, makes them particularly susceptible to frost damage," it continues.
Winter cereals develop a tolerance to low temperatures in a process known as hardening to withstand frost during the winter dormancy period.
Warmer temperatures are expected to continue in most parts of the EU until December 20, which would limit plant hardening and cause softening in some regions.
No frost damage is expected during this period, MARS added.
At the same time, lower temperatures in north-eastern Europe have had a positive effect by speeding up the hardening process in the Baltic states.
Spain, Portugal and Romania have returned to seasonal soil moisture levels in the past month, following drought-like conditions in recent months. Northwest Italy, southwest France, Scotland and Greece continued to experience excessive rainfall.
Source
HANSA Terminhandel
