This current monitoring period covers the sowing and the first half of the growing season of main crops in the northeast of China (April to July 2021). CropWatch Agroclimatic Indicators (CWAIs) show that the precipitation greatly deviated from the average level. The total precipitation increased by 30%. It was above average level from late May to late July. The photosynthetically active radiation and the temperature were close to average. This resulted in a potential biomass estimate that was 2% above the fifteen-year average level.

The crop conditions during the monitoring period were in general slightly above average but spatial variations existed. The maximum VCI shows that all provinces of the Northeast of China were above 0.8, except for a small part of western Heilongjiang province near the riverside area. This was mainly due to the flooding caused by significant above average rainfall. The sowing dates in some low-lying areas in the eastern part of Heilongjiang province were delayed due to waterlogging in spring, this in return caused a delayed development of NDVI. In the eastern part of Heilongjiang province, soybean suffered from drought at the flowering stage, which negatively affected podding.

Figure 4.11 Crop condition China Northeast region, April - July 2021

(a) Crop condition development graph based on NDVI

(b) Spatial distribution of NDVI profiles

(c) Time series temperature profile

(d) Time series rainfall profile

(e) Maximum VCI

(f) Potential biomass departure from 15YA