Due to high temperatures, a farmer from Odesa lost up to 80% of his corn crop.

Due to the abnormal and prolonged heat, the enterprise in Odesa region lost about 80% of the corn crop and up to 50% of the sunflower crop, Vasyl Neboga, the chief agronomist of the farm, reported.

 

In total, 440 hectares are under corn, and 1700 hectares are under sunflower.

 

"We had the last rain on June 14, after which the daytime temperatures were kept within 40-42°C, sometimes reaching 46°C, the soil temperature rose to 70-73°C, and the air humidity was 20-22%. During this month, the plants simply burned up, although the unusually rainy spring gave hope for a good harvest," said Vasyl Neboga.

 

According to him, from March 1 to June 14, 183 mm of precipitation fell in the region, which is a very good indicator for the south of Odesa. The farm planned to harvest at least 3 t/ha of sunflowers, and now, according to the best forecasts, they expect to harvest at least 1.5 t/ha.

 

"For the south of Odesa, drought is a common phenomenon. The negative impact of rainfall deficit on agricultural crops can be partially offset by the selection of varieties and hybrids, measures to preserve moisture, such as minimizing tillage, working with crop residues, etc. However, it is almost impossible to protect plants from the abnormal heat that lasted for more than a month," the agronomist added.

 

By the way, according to the experts of the Ukrhydrometeorological center...