Agrometeorology: Further abundant rainfall would be needed for optimal vegetation development

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In the last days of February, a Mediterranean cyclone brought nationwide rainfall, but its territorial distribution was uneven: in the northern and northwestern parts of the country, an amount of between 10-25 millimeters fell, so the previously very dry Lesser Plain was finally soaked, while in most of the Great Plain only 2-7 millimeters fell. Although this rain helped a lot with the lack of rainfall, in February, even so, less than half of the usual amount of rainfall fell in large areas. The top one-meter layer of the soil lacks 20-70 millimeters of precipitation in a significant part of the country to reach saturation, and this moisture reserve will be sorely missed during a possible spring or summer drought – they wrote.

After a slightly colder than average February, the average temperature in the first days of March was already slightly above the usual for this time of year

Rapeseed has survived the winter in good condition. In the case of winter grains, the dry period resulted in uneven germination and difficult early development in many places, primarily in the southern parts of the Great Plain. In the northwestern part of the country, due to the very dry upper soil layer in the second half of the winter, signs of drought were already showing in terms of autumn sowing, but the rain at the end of February helped a lot. In January, mild spring weather disturbed the deep dormancy phase of the vegetation several times, and the persistent cold that arrived in February was much needed to curb the development that had started prematurely. The nights are still frosty, which slows down the rapid development of plants, but the buds of early fruit trees have already swollen.

According to the forecast, a lot of sunshine is expected until the end of the week

The temperature will continue to rise slightly, between 18-23 degrees during the day, but the air will continue to cool down to near or slightly below freezing at night in many places. Precipitation will arrive at the beginning of next week, and by the end of the week, precipitation exceeding 20 millimeters is likely in many places, which may also reach the deeper soil layers. At the same time, the daily temperature fluctuation will decrease, the nights will also be frost-free, but the degree of daytime warming will decrease by several degrees.

MTI