As of December 2022, up to 65% of winter crops are in good to excellent condition, while the condition of the remaining 30-35% will depend on weather conditions during the winter.
According to the website of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy on Friday, citing data from the Ukrhydrometcenter, the weather factor has not affected the condition of the crops this season.
“According to a visual assessment, on 65% (in 2021 – 56%) of the examined fields the plants entered the winter in good and excellent condition, on 28% (35%) of the areas the condition of plants was assessed as satisfactory. In 7% (9%) of the areas the plants were underdeveloped (did not reach the phase of development safe for overwintering). The majority of such crops (from 7% to 28%) are in Kharkiv, Vinnytsia, Odesa and Lviv regions”, – Ministry reports.
According to the Ministry of Agrarian Policy, the Ukrhydrometeocenter conducted a study of productive moisture reserves of arable soil layer under winter crops on October 28-30. At the majority of sown areas reserves of moisture were optimal (21-40 mm), in some areas of eastern, western and northern regions, the soil layer was overwatered (more than 40 mm of productive moisture). At the same time in southern and in some areas of central regions moistening of arable layer of soil was insufficient for the end of autumn (in some places less than 10 mm of productive moisture), the most such areas were in Odessa region.
Also according to agrometeorological surveys of winter crops, in the second half of November, 30-40% of areas plants reached mass tillering, which is favorable for overwintering. On the remaining areas formation of the 3rd leaf and foliage was noted. Plant height varied from 10 to 24 cm with an average of 250-510 plants per m2 and 600-670 plants on the best plots. Bushiness was formed in the range of 1.6-2.8 stems per plant.
As reported, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmygal in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine said that Ukraine will try to compensate for the smaller areas under winter crops this season by increasing the area under spring crops next year.
“This year winter grain crops were sown on 4.8 million hectares in the controlled territories. This is about 40% less than last year. We expect to sow more spring spring crops to compensate. But it is clear that the large mine contamination of fields, the factor of uncertainty and constant attacks of the enemy will have an impact on the quantitative indicators of our harvest next year. This is a problem that will have to be solved,” the prime minister said.
He stressed that the country’s government is working to attract international support, which should have a positive impact on next year’s gross harvest. Thus, the UN agricultural organization (FAO) has already agreed to provide the country with seed, which will increase the total area of spring crops sown in 2023 by 30%. For comparison, Ukraine during the sowing season 2022 planted 14.16 million hectares of main crops, or 83.7% of the 2021 indicators of 16.92 million hectares.
