The reporting period covers harvesting of wheat, the main growing season of maize and rice, as well as the sowing for early and late soybean (Figure 3.8.a). For the whole country rainfall showed a positive anomaly of 29%.Temperature was reduced 1.3°C below average and RADPAR fell 8 %. BIOMSS showed an increment of 8 %. Overall crop condition was  favorable during the monitoring period. 

CropWatch subdivides Argentina into eight agro-ecological zones (AEZ) based on cropping systems, climatic zones, and topography; they are identified by numbers in the NDVI profiles map (Figure 3.8.c). Only four of them are found to be relevant for crops cultivation: the Chaco, Mesopotamia, the Humid Pampas, and the Subtropical highlands for which the crop conditions will be discussed with some detail in this section.

Spatial distribution of NDVI profiles show a stable pattern with a low positive anomaly (close to 0.05) for Western Humid Pampas, Mesopotamia and East Chaco (Figure 3.8.b and 3.8.c). Southern Humid Pampas and Dry Pampas showed no anomalies at the beginning of the reporting period and slight negative anomalies since December. The central and north-western Humid Pampas show an inhomogeneous spatial pattern, alternating areas with positive and negative anomalies in NDVI.

Crop condition development graphs for the whole country based on NDVI show  changes from a positive anomaly at the beginning of the reporting period to negative values at the end (Figure 3.8.d); this pattern was also observed in the Humid Pampas. On the contrary, Chaco, Mesopotamia and Subtropical highlands showed persistently higher values than the 5 year average NDVI (Figures 3.8.e, 3.8.f, 3.8.g and 3.8.h).

The VCIx map in general shows good crop condition with values above 0.8 in most of the area (Figure 3.8.i). Lower values are observed in central and western Humid Pampas, as well as in the western Chaco, Dry Pampas and Pampas hills.

The four zones showed different behavior in RAIN. High positive anomalies were observed in Mesopotamia (+48 %), Humid Pampas  (+31 %) and Chaco (+20 %), while a slight negative anomaly was observed in Subtropical highlands (-4 %). TEMP showed negative anomalies in the four zones, Subtropical highlands (-1.8°C), Humid Pampas (-1.5°C), Chaco (-1.1°C) and Mesopotamia (-1.0°C). Negative anomalies were also observed for RADPAR in Subtropical highlands (-13 %), Chaco (-11 %),  Mesopotamia (-8 %), and Pampas (-6 %).

Three regions showed increments in BIOMSS: 10 % in Humid Pampas and Mesopotamia and 8 % in Chaco, while Subtropical highlands showed a reduction of 3 %. Maximum VCIx values were higher in Humid Pampas (0.92), followed by Mesopotamia (0.76), Subtropical highlands (0.75) and Chaco (0.74). According to CALF indicator, the 4 regions showed almost fully cropped areas, representing an increase over the five previous seasons  of 16 % for Subtropical highlands, 9 % for Chaco, 7 % for Pampas and no change for Mesopotamia.

Figure 3.8. Argentina’s crop condition, October 2018 - January 2019.

(a). Phenology of major crops

(b) Spatial NDVI patterns compared to 5YA       (c) NDVI profiles

(d) Crop condition development graph based on NDVI_Argentina

(e) Crop condition development graph based on NDVI_Pampas

(f) Crop condition development graph based on NDVI_Chaco

(g) Crop condition development graph based on NDVI_Mesopotamia

(h) Crop condition development graph based on NDVI_Subtropical highlands

(i) Maximum VCI 

Table 3.7. Argentina’s agroclimatic indicators by sub-national regions, current season's values and departure from 15YA, October 2018-January 2019.

Table 3.8. Argentina’s agronomic indicators by sub-national regions, current season's values and departure from 5YA, October 2018-January 2019.