Dry weather in Odesa region poses a threat to crops

The situation with crops and moisture in Odesa region is alarming, but has not reached a critical state, according to an expert.

There has been no precipitation in the Odesa region since the second decade of August and there is almost no moisture in the soil. Where there was already limited precipitation, farmers managed to sow winter rape, and it grew successfully; such crops have survived and are developing.

This was stated by Oleksandr Kotygora, Agricultural Technology Development Manager, Southern Region, LNZ Group, in a commentary for SuperAgronom.com.

"About 20-30% of the region's farmers sowed winter rape and grains in 'dry soil' conditions, hoping for future precipitation. However, most of them are still waiting for the rains," the expert noted.

He explained that now there is still time to wait for favorable conditions, as the optimal time for sowing winter crops in the region is from September 15 to October 15.

"If the rains come, the situation with the crops and the condition of winter crops will improve. In case of light precipitation, 5-10 mm, or no precipitation at all in the near future, the sown grain will germinate, but the seedlings may dry out. However, we hope for the best, because in the past Odesa region had experience of sowing in dry weather, and then it rained in October-November," said Kotygora.

Currently, the situation with crops and moisture in Odesa region is alarming, but not yet critical. However, if the rains do not come by October 15, the situation may worsen. In this case, it may be necessary to consider increasing the area under spring crops, but this also carries risks, as these crops have low profitability in Ukraine.

"We may have a situation where the entire moisture reserve accumulates in the soil from fall to spring. Therefore, it is not a good idea to rely on spring crops. However, it is possible that some of the winter rape crops that have not yet grown will have to be reseeded for winter grains and then we will have to fight the rape as a weed. Crops that have already sprouted will remain unchanged and will wait for spring monitoring. They may be weak, but they are still at the 2 leaf stage and further improvement is possible under favorable conditions. Last year, we had a warm winter, and temperatures remained within +10-15°C until December, so the plants continued to develop and grow," says Kotygora.

According to the Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Center, in the second decade of September, Ukraine experienced a prolonged precipitation deficit, and most of the territory suffers from a lack of effective precipitation or insufficient rainfall to ensure the required level of soil moisture.