LONDON, U.K. (Reuters) — A drop in temperatures has improved the outlook for winter wheat in France, Germany and Britain.
The colder weather prevents crops from becoming too advanced and thus curbs the threat from frost, pests and disease.
Crops in Poland, where temperatures have dropped as low as -25 C at night, may have suffered winterkill, although the impact is not yet known.
“I am taking a relaxed view of the frosts as most of Germany has deep enough snow cover to prevent significant damage,” one German grains analyst said.
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“The fall in temperatures following the unusually warm November and December is even welcome as we do not want plants to get too much of an advanced growth stage, which would in turn leave them very vulnerable to frost damage.”
In France, farmers said a recent cold spell after unusually mild conditions this winter was beneficial for crops, and the temperature change was not sharp enough to cause damage.
“What is important is that we avoid wide changes in temperatures,” said Philippe Pinta, head of wheat growers group AGPB.
“When temperatures fall progressively like they have been doing, there is no problem — quite the opposite.”
FranceAgriMer had rated 98 percent of soft wheat, the country’s most produced cereal crop, as in good or excellent condition as of the end of November.
It will resume its weekly crop ratings in February.
In Britain, there had been concerns that heavier than normal rainfall and mild weather in the autumn and early winter could have increased pest and disease pressure on crops.
“This cold weather could have helped to manage that,” said analyst Jack Watts of Britain’s Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board.
“I think this is a welcome cold snap to give the crops a bit of resilience against some disease which is kicking around.”
Crops in Poland, where there was bitterly cold weather at the start of the year, may have fared less well.
“During the first week of January we experienced a few very cold days and nights with virtually no snow on the ground and temperatures dropping to -20 to -25 C at night,” said Wojtek Sabaranski of analysts Sparks Polska.
“There are various opinions about the extent of winterkill at the moment, but we have to wait until weather warms up to learn more about the extent of losses.”
