Western FSU
Sunny skies exacerbated drought in parts of Ukraine and
Russia’s Central District but favored winter wheat
development in southern Russia.
The core of the region’s
drought extended from central and eastern Ukraine
northward into Russia’s Central District.
In these areas,
60-day precipitation ranged from less than 10 percent of
normal in central Ukraine to 10 to 25 percent of normal in
western and southern portions of the central District.
Furthermore, weekly average temperatures have dropped
below 5°C in most of the drought-afflicted crop areas,
indicating the opportunity for proper winter wheat
establishment has ended.
In contrast, winter wheat in
southern Russia benefited from the sunny skies and near normal
temperatures following recent rain, with weekly
average temperatures above 5°C supporting some
additional crop growth.
