Sowing Dates for Spring Crops in Ukraine Shift Due to Climate Change
In Ukraine, there is a trend towards earlier sowing dates for spring crops across various regions. This is due to the sufficient moisture present in the top meter of soil after winter, allowing farmers to sow crops in the upper moist layer to achieve uniform germination.
This is reported by AgroReview
Impact of Weather Conditions on the Agricultural Sector
As noted by Oleksandr Myhlovets, director of the agronomy department at Ukravit, in recent years, weather conditions have significantly impacted agricultural activities. Specifically, in the third decade of April and at the beginning of May, frost down to -7°C has been recorded across Ukraine, negatively affecting the growth of agricultural crops and sometimes leading to total crop loss for both field crops and fruit plantations. Last year, the South and parts of the eastern regions were particularly affected by drought, with only up to 10 mm of precipitation falling during the spring-summer period.
“In the last two years, during the third decade of April and the first decade of May, we have observed frost across the entire territory of Ukraine, in some places down to -7°C, which negatively affects the growth and development of crops, sometimes causing total crop loss for both field crops and fruit plantations. Last year, the entire South and parts of eastern Ukraine suffered from severe drought, with precipitation totaling only up to 10 mm during the spring-summer period,” added the expert.
According to the expert, these changes dictate not only the sowing dates but also the timing of protective measures in the field. Among the main challenges for farmers are temperature fluctuations during the application of plant protection products, frequent frosts, heavy rains, and flooding, which can cause phytotoxicity and even total plant loss.
Adaptation to Climate Change and Technological Solutions
Oleksandr Myhlovets emphasizes that in the next 3–5 years, the main tasks for farmers will be adapting agriculture to climate change and implementing resource-saving cultivation technologies. According to the expert, the development of technologies for applying basic herbicides using multicopters and reducing the application rates of working solutions will play a key role in enhancing the effectiveness of protective measures.
Additionally, there may be a harmonization of Ukrainian legislation in the field of plant protection with European standards, which could restrict the use of several effective active substances during the pre-sowing period. In particular, this concerns the ban on almost all a-chloroacetamides, including metolachlor, propachlor, acetochlor, and others.