June – from unsettled weather with precipitation to above-normal heat conditions

In June, the agrometeorological conditions will be determined by unstable weather with precipitation, around and above the monthly norm, which will maintain good and very good moisture reserves in the 50cm and 100cm soil layer – over 75-80% of FC (Field Capacity). Lower levels of soil moisture reserves are forecast in places in the extreme northeastern and southwestern regions (Razgrad, Ruse, Silistra, Sandanski), where May's rainfall was below the monthly norm.

At the beginning of June, the development of agricultural crops will proceed at an accelerated pace, under above-normal thermal conditions. Due to the high temperatures during the spring vegetation of wheat and barley, they will complete their development earlier than usual. During the first ten days of June, mass waxy maturity will be observed for barley in the field areas, and at the end of the ten-day period - full maturity. For wheat during this period, milky, transition to waxy, and waxy maturity will occur.

During most days of the second ten-day period, agrometeorological conditions will be determined by temperatures close to the usual for the period. In the middle of the ten-day period, winter cereal crops in high fields will enter the ripening phase. For corn, leaf formation will occur, and for sunflowers, inflorescence formation will prevail.

For most of the period June 7-13, agrometeorological conditions will be determined by warm weather with a probability of local precipitation and hail. Maximum temperatures will exceed 30°C throughout the period, reaching 38°C in the Thracian Plain, which is a prerequisite for heat stress and deterioration of conditions for the normal development of cultivated plants in their vegetative and generative stages.

At the beginning of the second ten-day period of June, leaf formation will occur for corn; for sunflowers sown within the optimal agricultural timeframe - inflorescence formation; for leguminous crops (beans, soybeans) - budding and flowering. For barley in the field areas, waxy maturity will prevail. For wheat, mass milky and waxy maturity will occur. For rapeseed, the ripening phase will be observed.

The forecasted above-normal thermal conditions during the third ten-day period of June will accelerate the vegetation of spring crops, and some of them will enter reproductive phases of their development. For sunflower crops sown within the optimal agricultural timeframe, the beginning of the flowering phase will be observed, and for earlier corn hybrids - tasseling and anther shedding. During this period, maximum temperatures up to 35-36°C are forecast, which will negatively affect flowering and fertilization in vegetable crops.

In June, the forecasted frequent rainfall is a prerequisite for the development of fungal diseases: late brown rot, scab, and powdery mildew on fruit trees; blights on vegetable crops; downy mildew, powdery mildew, and gray mold on grapevines. More suitable conditions for conducting plant protection sprays will be created during the second half of the month.

! High temperatures and low atmospheric humidity will limit the possibilities for carrying out plant protection measures and will make field work difficult.

Source NIMH