The mild winter months leave their mark on the cultivation of winter cereals in almost all of Europe. Winter hardiness in particular is a concern. Higher pressure from diseases and pests is also expected ...
Between December 1 and January 20, it was warmer than usual throughout Europe. Large parts of France and Northern and Eastern Europe experienced one of the warmest winters on record. It is not yet possible to predict what this will mean for the yield of various crops. That depends on the rest of the season and how the crops develop.
Very vulnerable
The European Commission does point out MARS Bulletin of January on the consequences for the winter hardiness of crops such as winter wheat. Particularly in southern Sweden, Germany, Poland, the Baltic states, Belarus, northwestern Russia and western Ukraine, crops are now very vulnerable to frost. However, due to the persistent mild weather, there have not yet been any cases of significant frost damage in Europe.
Another disadvantage of the relatively warm winter is that diseases and pests are more likely to strike. On the other hand, the mild first half of the winter meant that crops sown very late had more time to establish themselves.
Drier than usual
In parts of Europe, rain and drought also have an impact on the development of winter grain. In southern Italy, an important region for the production of durum wheat, it is much drier than usual. But it has also been dry in Germany and parts of Eastern Europe since autumn, which has a major influence on the moisture content in the soil and the recharge of groundwater. Wheat and other grains grew much slower than normal last fall due to drought. In Western Europe, heavy rain actually caused difficulties sowing conditions.