LLKC said that the development of winter crops throughout the country was affected by drought and, as a result, by shorter ears with a smaller number of grains than usual.
Oskars Balodis, head of the crop division of LLKC, said: “In lighter soils winter wheat, rye, and triticale have prematurely ripened and dried out, which means that grain is small and yields in such fields will be low. Rye grain development was also affected by thrips damage. A good crop of grains is in fields that were better off with drought and where the required amount of rainfall was expected in time. The humidity available to rapeseed provided good seeding, but in general, it is smaller, with lower biomass, which will result in lower yields."
Current rainfall is also hampering the harvesting of grains.
In conventional holdings, depending on how much fertilizer has been provided, yields are expected to range from 3 to 6 tonnes per hectare, the LLKC said. In places where basic fertilizing is limited to nitrogen, the yield is expected to be lower. LLKC also explained that the granulometric composition of soil as well as the amount of precipitation received are important indicators for forecasting. Earlier volumes are very different depending on the amount of humidity received and yields forecast between 1 and 3 t/ha, the LLKC said.
