Despite May rains, Poland is still threatened with agricultural drought
The Polish saying "Dry April, May watery, there will be cereal as a shrubbery" this year came true.
Rains began at the end of April and are still ongoing on the Polish territory. However, despite the long waited precipitation, the Institute of Soil Cultivation and Soil Science (IUNG) still forecasts agricultural drought for certain crops in 11 out of 16 Polish provinces.
It should be noticed, that in comparison to the previous IUNG report on agricultural drought the situation has improved. The range of drought decreased in all crops: spring and winter cereals, strawberries, fruit shrubs and fruit trees in relation to previously monitored periods. The number of communes and the percentage of potential area of arable land with agricultural drought decreased.
Presently, agricultural drought is noted in the following crops:
- spring cereals,
- winter cereals,
- strawberries,
- fruit shrubs,
- rapeseed and colza
- fruit trees.
Drought is reported in the following provinces:
- Lubuskie,
- Zachodniopomorskie,
- Wielkopolskie,
- Kujawsko-Pomorskie,
- Lodzkie,
- Dolnoslaskie,
- Warminsko-Mazurskie,
- Lubelskie,
- Pomorskie,
- Podlaskie,
- Opolskie.
In the third reporting period from 11 April to 10 June 2020, the greatest threat of agricultural drought occurred among spring cereal crops. Drought in these crops was recorded in 419 Polish communes (16.92% of the country's communes), i.e. by 177 communes and 7.14 percentage points less than in the previous reporting period.
Drought occurred in all above mentioned 11 provinces on an area of 5.30% of arable land, i.e. by 3.24 percentage points less arable land than in the previous reporting period. The greatest area of threatened crops in noted in Lubuskie province (40,52%) and the least in Opolskie (0,01%).
Agricultural drought has been reported in winter cereal crops. It occurred in 315 Polish communes (12.72% of the country's communes), i.e. 160 communes and 2.14 percentage points less than in the previous reporting period.
Drought occurred in 10 provinces on an area of 3.16% of arable land, i.e. by 2.14 percentage point less arable land than in the previous period.
Agricultural drought occurred in the cultivation of strawberries. It was recorded in 237 Polish communes (9.57% of the country's communes), i.e. 156 communes and 6.3 percentage points less than in the previous reporting period.
Drought occurred in 6 provinces on an area of 2.19% of arable land, i.e. by 2.17 percentage points of arable land less than in the previous period.
Agricultural drought was noted in the cultivation of fruit shrubs. It was recorded in 195 Polish communes (7.87% of the country's communes), i.e. 9 communes and 0.37 percentage points less than in the previous reporting period.
Drought was recorded in rape and colza crops. It was recorded in these crops in 8 Polish communes in Zachodniopomorskie province (0.32% of the country's communes) on 0.01% of Poland's arable land.
Drought was recorded in fruit trees. It was recorded in these crops in two Polish communes in the Zachodniopomorskie province (0.08% of the country's communes).
Potatoes and sugar beetroots are not threatened with agricultural drought, according to IUNG.
Lack of sufficient rainfall still occurs in the north-west of Poland, which causes large water shortages in soil in these areas. The large water deficit causes that drought is still recorded in many communes and on a relatively large area of land in the following province: Lubuskie, Zachodniopomorskie and Wielkopolskie.
On the other hand, soil moisture conditions in the provinces: Łódzkie, Lubelskie, Świętokrzyskie, Śląskie, Małopolskie, Opolskie, Dolnośląskie and Podlaskie have imporoved and the water deficit decreased in those regions.
Source: IUNG