Wheat crop conditions hit a near-10-year high for the same period, with drought persisting in some areas

Currently, most regions across the country have entered the busy farming season of spring plowing and spring sowing. Yan Hao, chief expert at the Agrometeorological Center of the National Meteorological Center, pointed out that thanks to favorable temperature and humidity conditions earlier on, spring plowing and spring sowing got off to a good start in most regions; however, before March 28, the winter wheat region of North China had basically no effective precipitation, and drought conditions in parts of central and southern Hebei and northwestern Henan will persist.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, spring plowing and spring sowing got off to a good start this year: early rice in South China has entered the sowing and seedling-raising period, with progress comparable to that of an average year; spring wheat sowing in the Ningxia irrigation district has been completed; and rice greenhouse seedling-raising in Northeast China is ready. Current crop conditions are among the better years in recent times, with the proportion of first- and second-grade seedlings at the wheat green-up stage reaching 88.8%, up 1.8 percentage points year on year, the highest proportion for the same period in nearly 10 years. In particular, wheat conditions in Henan and Shandong, which together account for more than 40% of the national wheat area, are noticeably better than in 2014.

Yan Hao said that over the past period, temperatures in most parts of the country have been on the high side with ample sunshine and relatively suitable soil moisture, which favored the green-up and growth of winter wheat, the flowering and pod-setting of rapeseed, the sowing and seedling-raising of early rice, and spring plowing and spring sowing and the growth of spring wheat seedlings in the Northwest. However, the Jianghuai and Jianghan regions experienced persistent overcast and rainy weather with little sunshine, and some low-lying farmland suffered from waterlogging damage.

But Yan Hao particularly reminded that from March 24 to 28, temperatures in most parts of the country were higher than the same period in an average year, and meteorological conditions were generally favorable for winter wheat growth, soil thawing in the Northwest and Northeast, and preparation for spring plowing and sowing; however, the high temperatures were not conducive to controlling excessive growth of winter wheat or preserving soil moisture. During this period, the winter wheat region of North China had basically no precipitation, and drought conditions in parts of central and southern Hebei and northwestern Henan will persist. Yan Hao suggested that the northern winter wheat region should strengthen classified field management of winter wheat, applying topdressing and irrigation according to crop density, seedling conditions and soil moisture; areas with poor soil moisture should irrigate promptly to ensure the water needs of winter wheat at the green-up and jointing stages.

In addition, the Jiangnan spring sowing region still has plenty of overcast and rainy weather. It is expected that before March 29, cumulative precipitation in Jiangnan, South China and eastern Southwest China will reach 20 to 40 mm, and locally heavy precipitation will be unfavorable for early rice sowing and rapeseed flowering and pollination. Yan Hao said that local areas should use the rainfall period to soak seeds and sow promptly during breaks in the rain; areas where early rice has already been sown should strengthen seedbed management to cultivate strong seedlings; and after heavy precipitation, excess moisture and waterlogging should be drained promptly.