Unstable and dynamic agrometeorological conditions at the end of March

At the end of March, the agrometeorological conditions will be characterized by increased dynamics. During the first half of the period, above-normal temperatures and activation of the vegetation processes in the autumn-sown crops and the perennial plantations are forecast. In wheat, the tillering stage will be occurring on a mass scale. In places in the Danube Plain and in the southern regions, the beginning of the stem elongation stage will also be observed in the winter cereal crops (agrometeorological stations Novachene, Silistra, Haskovo).

At the end of the month, the agrometeorological conditions will undergo a substantial change. During the last days of March, they will be determined by temperatures below the climatic norms, close to the biological minimum required for the vegetation of the autumn-sown crops and the sown spring crops. In the northeastern regions and in the high fields, there is a forecast probability for precipitation, including snow, and a risk of damage to stone fruit species that have entered the flowering stage.

The expected precipitation during the last week of March will improve soil moisture reserves in the 50 cm layer. At the end of the second ten-day period of March, in parts of the southern and eastern regions, the level of soil moisture reserves in winter cereal crops in the 50 and 100 cm soil layers was low for the beginning of the spring vegetation period, in places below 65% of field capacity (FC). Relatively good reserves, above 85% of FC, were recorded in the autumn-sown crops in the northwestern regions of the country (agrometeorological stations: Bazovets, Nikolaevo, Novachene, Borima).

During most days of the next period, the forecast unstable weather with frequent precipitation will hinder the implementation of plant protection spraying in orchards, pre-sowing tillage, and the sowing of medium-early spring crops.

In the middle of the third ten-day period of March (25.03–05.04), the agrotechnical period for sowing sunflower in the Danube Plain begins. 

Source: NIMH