More than 60% of winter barley crops in the Kherson region are in a weak and liquefied state
Agrarians of Tavria are alarmed because of the significant freezing of winter crops. There is a lack of moisture in the region. Therefore, about 60% of winter barley crops are in a weak and liquefied state.
It is reported by the Voice of Ukraine.
“This winter in the region was not only poor in precipitation, but also with impressive temperature drops - more than 10℃. And this did not go in favor of cultivated plants - part of the crops suffered significantly,” said Sergey Zayets, Doctor of Agricultural Sciences, head of the department of crop production and non-irrigated agriculture of the Institute of Irrigated Agriculture of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.
According to him, last year winter wheat was sown at the end of September, barley - in the middle and end of October. But there was no rain, so the grain simply lay in dry ground, and the growing season began a week later than usual.
“Therefore, before the onset of severe cold weather, the staircase only had time to throw out three leaves and barley only at the initial stage of tillering. Frosts down to -12℃, and in the north down to -19℃, even without the protection of the snow cover, could not but hurt,” the expert says.
Sergei also noted that monitoring shows that in some places in the fields, winter barley has changed color from green to reddish, and 60% of its crops are in a weak and sparse condition, and only up to 5% are in good condition.
“Things are much better with winter wheat: stairs are weak and sparse in 22-25% of the fields, and in 61-63% of the areas their condition is satisfactory,” the NAAS employee said.
Temperature swings during the cold season in the Kherson region have become a common thing in recent decades: a thaw can change frosts two or three times a month, or even more often. But the most vulnerable problem for farmers is winters with little snow. Without a snow blanket, plants are more vulnerable to the negative effects of low temperatures, and because of this, moisture in the productive soil layer decreases. So the farmers just have to wait for what the next months will be: the longer the frosts without snow, the faster the hopes for a good harvest of winter crops in the summer “melt”.