The development of agricultural crops will proceed at a moderate pace at the end of July and the beginning of August

By the end of July and during the first days of August, agrometeorological conditions will continue to be determined by unstable weather. Intense precipitation is again forecast, with a likelihood of hail and additional damage to agricultural crops. The torrential rains and hailstorms during the past period caused serious, and in some places in the central and southeastern regions (the Stara Zagora region) – irreparable damage to vegetable crops, maize, sunflower and the unharvested grain crop.

During the following period, the development of agricultural crops will proceed at a moderate pace. At the end of July and the beginning of August, in the early maize hybrids, the milk, transition to wax, and wax maturity stages will be observed in part of the stands in the Danube Plain (agrometeorological stations Băzovec, Glavinitsa, Silistra) and in the southern regions of the country (agrometeorological station Plovdiv). In sunflower, seed filling will be taking place, and in field beans – a mass ripening stage.

The humid weather until the beginning of August will be a prerequisite for an increase in the infectious background of a number of fungal diseases: grey mould on ripening dessert grape varieties, late brown rot on fruit trees, downy mildews on vegetable crops (potato late blight on tomatoes, downy mildew on cucumbers, downy mildew on cabbage, etc.). Opportunities for conducting plant protection spraying will occur at the end of the period, mainly in the eastern regions of the country.

During the period, conditions will remain unsuitable for completing the wheat harvest. In the waterlogged wheat stands there is a real risk of grain germination in the ears and deterioration of the quality of the unharvested grain crop.

Source: NIMH