Harvest-home of crops in 2018 in the central and southern regions of Ukraine

We do not expect a record-breaking harvest

According to the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine, as of August 1, 2018, agrarians harvested 24.3 million tons of early grains and grain legumes from 7.4 million ha (75% to the forecast) with a yield of 32.6 centner/ha, which includes:

• winter wheat - 18.4 million tons with 5,200,000 hectares (81%) with a yield of 35.3 centner/ha;
• spring wheat - 77.6 thousand tons from 319 thousand hectares (16%) with a yield of 25.2 centner/ha;
• winter barley - 3 million tons from 853 thousand hectares (98%) with a yield of 35.0 centner/ha;
• spring barley - 2 million tons from 930 thousand hectares (57%) with a yield of 21.7 centner/ha;
• peas - 626 thousand tons from 360 thousand hectares (83%) with a yield of 17.4 centner/ha;
• rye - 116 thousand tons from 44 thousand hectares (30%) with a yield of 26.4 centner/ha;
• oats - 34 thousand tons from 19 thousand hectares (9%) with a yield of 18.0 centner/ha.

Farmerscan.com enquired after the progress of the harvesting campaign and its intermediary result.

Expert opinion

The southern and central regions complete the harvesting of early cereal crops. The harvest is still going on; experts have already noted a decrease of yield in comparison with last year’s harvest. A prolonged winter, short spring vegetation period and insufficient quantity of rains caused rapid ripening of grain crops. As a result, harvesting was begun in the middle of June, which is at least 2 weeks earlier as usual.

The director of the regional state agricultural experimental station Ihor Semeniaka told about the weather features of this year and the reasons of reduction of yields: 

"It passed the winter very well. Both in the region and in our institutions there are practically no written-off seeds. However, after the end of the winter, and it ended a month later than the last years, summer came in 5 days. Therefore, the spring group suffered greatly from the drought and then began to grow at a quickened pace. Therefore, the winter group will not give the expected harvest. Due to the late renewal of the vegetation, the undertake makes up to 20-25% of the productivity. Moreover, there was a large deficit of precipitation in the period from May to early June, whereas moisture is needed to form the bruchid weevil and head. The precipitations of 3 - 8 mm fell every two weeks. Unfortunately, they did not lead to the longer development of the plant or forming the yield."

"The biological yield can reach 120-150 centner/ha of winter wheat, 90-120 centner/ha of winter barley. Therefore, we see different data: even 18 centner/ha, in fields where almost nothing has been done, but there are even 38-40 centner/ha and 50-60 centner/ha. Firstly, it depends on the seed material. Secondly, it depends also on forecrop, cropping system, technologies - intensive, low-intensive or extensive. There are a lot of nuances, "- said the expert.

According to the quality of the harvest, Ihor Semeniaka noted that this year the amount of fodder wheat prevails over the food-grade wheat. To the large extent, the quality of the grain was influenced by its forecrop. If the forecrop was, for example, pea, then the quality of the grain is high, the protein responds to the food grain. If it is referred to sunflower, corn, or stubble forecrop - even at high fertilizer rates, then the protein content is in short supply. This point, in particular, is due to the short period of vegetation. Even rains, which were fallen during the harvest period, also worsen the quality. The wheat, which still stands in the field, is washed with sediments and at the same time loses protein. According to the expert, conclusion of ratio between food and feed grain can be made only after the end of the harvest.

What have manufacturers got?

The representative of UFG "Phoenix" Zynovii Tymofeiev from Vysokopillia Raion, Kherson Oblast told about the harvesting of winter wheat in his farm:

"There are some results, but they do not quite please us, because we did not get the harvest that we have planned. We have planned 45 centner/ha, but received 10 centner/ha less. Some fields showed 50 centner/ha this year. Where it rained, there are results. Although, we applied enough fertilizers and plant food at the end of March and we also used sulphoammophos for sowing per one centner. The fact that the soil was contributed and refilled, should have given us a result of at least 45 centner/ha", said Zynovii ​​Tymofeiev.

The farmer of FG "Savir" Serhii Vaitseshchuk from Zolotonosha Raion of the Cherkasy Oblast shared the features of the technology of growing winter wheat. During the conversation, he noted that the soil in the fields is very poor, so the result of the harvest is quite acceptable. 

"The wheat yielded 47 centner/ha. The half of wheat was sown after winter rape; the other half of wheat was sown after soybeans. Depending on the forecrop, there was a different system. I did not apply any fertilizers after rape seeds, but after soybeans I applied diammofocus from autumn, 200 kg/ha. The sowing was carried out with the application of organic mineral fertilizers "Agrolife". In the spring we treated the wheat with fungicides twice and with microfertilizers, twice applied ammonium nitrate, then Humifield was also added - this is a growth stimulator, - therein lies our technology", said the farmer.

The adherence to agrotechnology and application of advanced methods of agricultural production is the key to success, even in difficult weather conditions. Read the information about grain crop productivity by regions in the following material.