During the current monitoring period, winter crops in Central Europe to Western Russia were mostly in the vegetative stage. The agroclimatic indicators show favorable condition for winter crops, with a 41 percent increase of rainfall and a 1.9°C increase of temperature compared with average. RADPAR, however, was well below average forthe period (-9 percent).Temperature profiles showed correlated variations among most countries of the MPZ. The whole region experienced unseasonably hightemperatures from mid-January to February (as much as 9°C above average in theeast, including most of Southwestern Russia), followed by low—and locally freezing and damaging—temperature in March. As indicated by the rainfall profiles,the north of Central Europe to Western Russia (about two thirds of the whole area) enjoyed moderately above average precipitation. Other parts (Ukraine and Romania) so far have recorded approximately average precipitation for 2016.As are sult of the large precipitation increase and above average temperature, thebiomass accumulation potential of the whole MPZ increased by 23 percent compared to the recent five-year average. A decrease in BIOMSS, however, occurred in Krasnodar Kray and the oblast of Rostov in Russia, which suffered a rainfalldeficit from January to the end of March. For the MPZ, 89 percent of the arablelands were cropped in January to April in 2016. Most uncropped arable land wasscattered in Russia (the eastern part of the MPZ), where irrigation iswidespread.

Figure 2.6. Central Europe-Western Russia MPZ:Agroclimatic and agronomic indicators,January-April 2016