The North-West, the Center and the Volga region from the end of spring to the first month of summer experience a lack of precipitation. The assessment of the precipitation regime for April-June 2023 in different regions of Russia was given to the journal pole.rf by the scientific director of the Hydrometeorological Center of Russia Roman Vilfand.
From April to June, a pronounced deficit was noted in the Leningrad, Novgorod, Pskov, Kaliningrad, Arkhangelsk, Vologda regions, where 45% of 60% of the norm fell. The situation is similar in the Central Federal District: Moscow, Tver, Ryazan regions from 60% to 67% of the precipitation norm for three months. Even taking into account the large amount of precipitation in the last days of June, a lack of precipitation was recorded, the meteorologist noted.
Tatarstan under the influence of drought
A difficult situation with precipitation is observed in the regions of the Volga Federal District.
“In the Ulyanovsk, Samara regions, in Mari El, only 50–55% of the normal precipitation fell in three months. But the most pronounced deficit of precipitation in Tatarstan. For three months, only 35% of the norm fell here, 45 mm at a rate of 130 mm, ”said Vilfand.
According to him, there was even less rain in Udmurtia: 28% of the norm fell from April to June.
In the meter layer of soil in the Volga region in June, low moisture reserves were noted - about 70 mm, which was still enough to complete the formation of the winter crop. “Only in some fields in Tatarstan, Nizhny Novgorod and Saratov regions, productive moisture was less than 50 mm,” the meteorologist said.
Ural and Siberia want rain
Precipitation deficit from April to June was noted in the Urals Federal District. In the Chelyabinsk, Sverdlovsk, Kurgan regions, from 45% to 70% fell.
“The most agricultural and densely populated regions of the south of Western Siberia were very poor in precipitation. In the Tomsk and Omsk regions, 60-63% of the norm fell out, and in the Novosibirsk region - only 36%. In the Altai Territory, it is also only 60-63%, ”said the interlocutor of the magazine.
According to him, in general, experts note milky ripeness of grain in winter grains in the Urals and Siberia, and flowering of wheat in certain northern regions of Western Siberia. Ear productivity is close to normal. However, the productive moisture in the soil of certain areas of Kurgan, Tyumen, in the southwest of Novosibirsk, in the north of the Kemerovo regions, in the west of the Altai Territory was less than 50 mm, which led to a decrease in the productivity of grain crops (less than 30 grains).
Vilfand noted that with a lack of moisture, the plants turn yellow, they can develop diseases.
The granary of the country was flooded
The opposite situation with precipitation was noted in the Krasnodar Territory, Rostov Region and Stavropol Territory.
“Here, about 150% of the norm fell out. This is a truly rare case,” Vilfand said.
In most regions of the Chernozem region and in the Volga region, normal vegetation of winter grains is observed. The productivity of winter wheat in most areas is close to normal, there are from 30 to 50 grains in an ear. For winter rye: 35 to 55 grains is fine. At the same time, in some areas of the Central Federal District, Volga Federal District and Northwestern Federal District, the productivity of an ear of winter crops is reduced - less than 30 grains.
In the Chernozem region, in particular in the Voronezh and Tambov regions, winter wheat lodging was noted due to high rainfall, and the soil was waterlogged, which could complicate harvesting.
On the whole, according to Vilfand, the regular nature of precipitation, although scarce, allows the country as a whole to assess the situation as good. The state of winter crops in the Central Chernozem region is good and satisfactory. The exception is the south-eastern regions of Tatarstan, where the weather has damaged the condition of grain crops.
Speaking about the state of early spring crops, Vilfand noted that in the South and the Caucasus, spring barley has already reached full maturity, and individual farms are harvesting it. “The mass of harvested grain is close to normal: the weight of 1 grains is 35–56 grams. This is very good,” the meteorologist said.