Temperatures across China were mixed last week with no areas seeing significant deviations from normal trends. Most of the country saw temperature anomalies within 2C degrees of normal.
Most of the northern winter wheat belt received 5-25mm of precipitation which is higher than normal, but this has not negatively affected the crops. Soil moisture levels in the region remain in the normal range with no areas seeing excessive moisture.
Rapeseed crops along the Yangtze River delta continue to face challenges. Some areas now have excessive soil moisture following more rains over the past week. These have also been slow to dry due to a lack of sunlight. Much of this area has also seen 25-80% less sunlight than normal due to persistent cloud cover.
Early planting of rice in the south has begun, but conditions remain mixed. The southeast has large areas with excessive soil moisture, while the southwest is seeing areas of moisture deficit again.
The National Meteorological Center notes that “there was still no significant precipitation in the south of Southwest China, and the lack of soil moisture in southern Sichuan and northern Yunnan continued, which was not conducive to the growth and development of crops such as wheat and rapeseed.”
Over the next week, conditions remain good for winter wheat, but rapeseed continues to face some challenges. Excessive soil moisture and a lack of sunlight are expected to persist in rapeseed areas along the Yangtze River delta.
(Soil moisture levels at 20cm)
