Soil moisture levels fall despite abundant autumn rain in Moldova
Low soil moisture is threatening autumn cereal crops, particularly wheat and sunflower, warns Boris Boincean, head of the Agricultural Systems Laboratory at the National Research and Seed Production Center.
According to him, the soil has not built up sufficient water reserves, and if there is not enough rainfall by spring, Moldova may face another drought this year.
"At the moment, we have a soil moisture deficit exceeding 50%, considering that at this stage, most row crops, such as sunflower, draw moisture from deeper soil layers. We assume that rain and snow between now and March-April will help compensate for this deficit, but I have little hope, despite the abundant autumn rainfalls. Above all, we must be cautious in choosing crops that depend on deep soil moisture, such as sunflower and sugar beet. We should already be planning where to sow wheat this autumn," said Boincean.
Last year, the drought affected 350,000 hectares of farmland.
The government allocated 100 million lei (~€5,000,000) from the Emergency Fund to partially compensate cereal farmers for losses caused by the drought and extreme summer heat in 2024.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
