The reporting period covers the harvest of late maize, soybean and rice and the subsequent fallow period. Wheat sowing started in June. For the whole country, rainfall showed a 14% negative anomaly, TEMP showed a slight negative anomaly of 0.2°C, RADPAR and BIOMSS showed positive anomalies of 6% and 8% respectively. CALF showed a 1% reduction and maximum VCI value was 0.83. The observed rainfall deficit may have negatively affected planting and emergence of wheat. However, drier conditions than usual had limited impact on the crops that were harvested in April and May. CropWatch keeps the production estimate at the same level as in the May forecasts.

The rainfall temporal profile showed negative anomalies in April, May and July. The temperature profile followed the average time series, with some positive and negative deviations. The graph of NDVI development at the national level showed negative anomalies during the entire reporting period

For the whole country, the crop condition classification based on NDVI showed that more than 80% of the area was near or below average during the entire reporting period. The crop condition classification based on VHI showed that at the beginning of the reporting period, near 30% of the area was affected by moderate or severe drought or more than 40% if minor droughts were also considered. A tendency of reduction in the area affected by drought was observed towards to the end of this monitoring period.  Only 5% of the area was affected by severe or moderate and 10% by minor drought. Rainfall returned to average starting in late May.

Regional Analysis

CropWatch subdivides Argentina into eight agro-ecological zones (AEZ) based on cropping systems, climatic zones, and topography; they are identified by numbers on the NDVI departure cluster map. During this monitoring period, most crops were grown in the following four agro-ecological zones: Chaco, Mesopotamia, Humid Pampas, and Subtropical highlands. The other four agro-ecological zones were less relevant for this period.

Mean values of rainfall showed negative anomalies for the main agro-ecological zones: Chaco (-36%), Mesopotamia (-14%), Pampas (-10%), Subtropical highlands (-8%). TEMP showed no anomaly in Chaco, positive anomaly in Subtropical highlands (+0.2°C), and negative anomalies in Mesopotamia (-0.4°C) and Pampas (-0.2°C). RADPAR showed positive anomalies in the four zones: Chaco (+14%), Mesopotamia (+11%), Subtropical highlands (+3%) and Humid Pampas (+2%). BIOMSS also showed positive anomalies in Chaco (+20 %), Mesopotamia (+12 %), Subtropical highlands (+6%) and Humid Pampas (+4%). CALF was almost complete (99%) for Chaco, Mesopotamia and Subtropical highlands, while Pampas showed somewhat lower values (90%). VCIx values were higher in the Subtropical highlands (0.88), followed by Mesopotamia (0.84), Pampas (0.83) and Chaco (0.78).

Rainfall profiles for Humid Pampas showed lower than average values during May and July. Chaco also showed negative anomalies in April. Mesopotamia showed most negative anomalies during April and May. Subtropical highlands showed near-average values during the entire reporting period. NDVI profiles showed near average values for Pampas, negative anomalies during end of April, May and June for Mesopotamia. Subtropical highlands showed negative NDVI anomalies during most of the period and Chaco showed negative anomalies all the time.

Spatial distribution of NDVI profiles showed a mixed spatial pattern, with the exception of Flooding Pampas (dark green profiles) with positive anomalies at the beginning of the reporting period and no or negative anomalies at the end. Also, the blue profile, with below average values at the beginning and no anomalies at the end, can be identified in small areas at Center West and Center East Pampas, South Pampas and North Mesopotamia. Most of Pampas, Chaco and Subtropical highlands showed a mixture of light green and red patterns; the light green profile was below average during the entire period, while the red profile showed a decrease in NDVI values with negative anomalies starting by late April. VCIx showed also a quite mixed pattern. Near half of the areas of Pampas showed poor conditions with lower than 0.8 values. Low VCIx values were observed also for East Chaco (lower than 0.5 in some cases) and for South Mesopotamia (mostly lower than 0.8).

Argentina showed poor conditions in several indices (Precipitation and NDVI anomalies, VCIx and CALF), but a tendency of improving conditions at the end of the period was observed (e.g. VCIm crop condition classification). Dry conditions could have affected the planted area of wheat as shown in a CALF reduction for the Pampas.

Figure 3.7 Argentina´s crop condition, April - July 2020

(a). Phenology of major crops

(b) Time series of rainfall profile

(c) Time series of temperature profile

(d) Crop condition development graph based on NDVI 

(e) Proportion of NDVI anomaly categories compared with 5YA

(f) Proportion of VHI categories compared with 5YA

Table 3.5. Argentina’s agroclimatic indicators by sub-national regions, current season's values and departure from 15YA, April – July 2020

Table 3.6. Argentina’s agronomic indicators by sub-national regions, current season’s values and departure from 15YA/5YA, April – July 2020

(g). Time series of rainfall profile (Humid Pampas)

(h). Time series of rainfall profile (Chaco)

(i). Time series of rainfall profile (Mesopotamia)

(j). Time series of rainfall profile (Subtropical highlands)

(k). Crop condition development graph based on NDVI (Humid Pampas)

(l). Crop condition development graph based on NDVI (Chaco)

(m). Crop condition development graph based on NDVI (Mesopotamia)

(n). Crop condition development graph based on NDVI (Subtropical highlands)

(o) Spatial NDVI patterns compared to 5YA (left) and NDVI profiles (right)

(p) Maximum VCI