During this reporting period, the main crops grown in the Loess region were winter wheat, spring wheat and spring maize. Winter wheat was sown during late September to mid-October and will be harvested in mid-June. Planting of spring wheat and maize took place from late March to April. According to the regional NDVI development graph, crop conditions were close to the 5YA. They were generally superior to last year's and the 5-year average from February to March and close to average in April. During the monitoring period, precipitation (RAIN +6%) was above average, and so was the temperature (TEMP +0.8°C). Radiation (RADPAR -1%) was below average, which may slightly affect photosynthesis. NDVI clusters and profiles show that crop conditions were close to average in the west and north of the Loess region, while the crop conditions were below average and underwent some fluctuation from late January to early February in central and southern Shanxi. The potential biomass indicator was below average (BIOMASS -13%) for most of the Loess region. The maximumVCIx in some area was lower than 0.5, especially in the north and west. The fraction of cropped arable land was below the 5-year average (CALF -12%).  Overall, the current indicators show slightly unfavorable crop prospects in the region. At the end of the monitoring period, wheat harvest was still more than a month away and average yields may result, depending on the weather conditions in May and early June.

Figure 4.13 Crop condition China Loess region, January - April 2020

（a) Crop condition development graph based on NDVI

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

(d) Maximum VCI

(e) Biomass departure