Global
Crop Watch Summary April 25, 2003. Heavy rainfall slowed
summer crop harvest across northern Argentina and southern Brazil.
However, this rainfall provided much needed moisture for winter grains which
will soon be planted. Parts of Western Europe remained unfavorably
dry. Much needed rain benefited winter wheat across the North China
Plain. Also, much of the U.S. benefited from rainfall.
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Cumulative Precipitation Map for Europe. For the 10th
consecutive week, rainfall missed the major growing areas of France.
Rainfall was widespread and beneficial across the Iberian Peninsula.
This map includes weekly precipitation through April 19, 2003. On
April 20, widespread rain fell across Italy.
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Rain Reached The Dry North China Plain.
After a dry Fall and Winter, rain recently fell across the
North China Plain, benefiting winter grains. China's winter
grain crop was behind recent years' in development.
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Precipitation Graphs for China's Yellow River Basin. These
graphs show the recent trend for rainfall across this portion of the North
China Plain. For this region, Spring rainfall began a few weeks
earlier than last year.
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China - Soil Moisture, as of April 20, 2003. This map shows the
dryness across the North China Plain and northern growing areas, which
contrasts with the south, which has been well watered during the winter and
early spring.
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China - Surface Soil Moisture, as of April 20, 2003. Due
to the recent rainfall, surface soil is moist across the North China Plain.
But more rainfall is needed to maintain favorable winter wheat conditions.
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U.S. 7 Day Cumulative Precipitation Map for the period ending April
23, 2003. This was a "wet" 7 days across much of the Continental
U.S. Precipitation during this period damped dry portions of Oregon,
the Central Plains, the Western Corn Belt, and the Ohio Valley. On the
24th, precipitation continued across the Central Plains and Delta States.
The Southwest and portions of the Texas Panhandle remain too dry.
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U.S. Southern Plains - Soil Moisture Graphs. Included here are
"soil moisture" graphs for several agricultural districts in Colorado and
Kansas. While each of these regions can use more moisture as the wheat crop
enters the moisture critical reproductive stage, each graph indicates that
soil moisture is greater than last year.
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Southern Plains Vegetative Index Comparison Map. This map shows
the "vegetation departure from last year" as of April 20, 2003. The
greener areas have more vegetation this year compared to last. This
year, drought problem areas continue across central Colorado, and the
southern High-Plains of Texas. Winter grains and hay crops are in much
better condition across Kansas and Oklahoma and have recently improved
across Nebraska, compared to last year. |