Illustrative photo
Photo: Edijs Pālens / LETA
The potential of the summer harvest throughout Latvia is now slightly better than last year at this time, according to field surveys of crop production specialists of the Latvian Rural Consultation and Education Center (LLKC).
Current forecasts show that the national average summer wheat yield this year could be 4.3 tons per hectare compared to three tons per hectare in 2019, summer barley – 3.5 tons per hectare compared to 3.2 tons per hectare last year, but oats. 3.12 tons per hectare, which is about the level of the previous year.
LLKC points out that this spring can be assessed as good for summer sowing, because May was cool and promoted the slow and gradual development of summer. However, in some places, especially in Zemgale, summers lacked moisture during germination and they grew more unevenly. However, the situation is changing rapidly, and this week’s rains and strong winds in Zemgale have already created serious winds in the summer and winter fields.
LLKC also states that warm, humid and in some places dry weather has contributed to the spread of diseases and pests. Among other things, in Kurzeme, summer wheat is threatened by yellow rust, which is not controlled, significantly reduces the yield, barley also contains powdery mildew and other diseases. Warm and humid weather in the sowings has also contributed to the rapid spread of aphids and aphids, the successful control of which is prevented by the owners’ excessive air temperature, which is not suitable for working with plant protection products.
Daiga Mellere, crop production consultant of LLKC Kuldīga office, said that summer fields in one region are very different, because the situation is affected by weather conditions. In June, rainfall created ponds in a few hours in some fields in the countryside, but did not rain at all in the nearby field. Consequently, the prevalence of diseases in summer varies greatly.
LLKC points out that in places where the plants lacked moisture in hot weather, for example, the death of the lower leaves of barley can already be observed.
If in the spring there were few pests in the summer rape, then at the beginning of flowering they were torn by cruciferous glow. Therefore, limiting them is now the decisive factor in obtaining a good harvest.
Latgale growers, on the other hand, have informed that summers currently look good, their density is sufficient, because the pre-Midsummer rainforests have mostly provided them with the necessary moisture, according to LLKC.
“There are places in Latgale where there is not enough moisture. In rapeseed fields, where there was enough moisture, the yield potential is high. A number of diseases were observed in summer cereals – mildew, yellowing, white rot, which were controlled by fungicide sprays. In turn, aphids hated with insecticide sprays. In the summer rape, we also had to control the larvae and glitter of the tern, ”said Inese Magdalenoka, crop production consultant of LLKC Preili office.
LLKC has been operating since 1991. The aim of the center is to promote rural development by increasing the professional and economic knowledge of rural entrepreneurs, to ensure the organization of consultations and training in all regions of Latvia, to increase the competitiveness of the rural population in the EU and to organize further education of employees working in institutions subordinated to the Ministry of Agriculture.
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