Overall, mixed crop condition prevails in Germany over the monitoring period. Winter wheat, spring barley, and maize are the main grain crops of Germany; winter wheat has been harvested, while spring barley and maize are in the vegetative stage. The CropWatch agroclimatic indicators show above average rainfall (RAIN, +13%), close to average but cool temperature (TEMP, -0.4°C), and RADPAR at the national level significantly below average (-8%). Above average rainfall occurred throughout the country, with the largest positive departure occurring from late May to June. With favorable moisture and temperature, biomass (BIOMSS) is expected to increase by 8% nationwide compared to the five-year average. As shown by the crop condition development graph, national NDVI values were first above average from April to the middle of May, then below average in May due to floods and low temperature, next above-average in June due to good soil moisture and suitable temperature condition after floods, and finally below average after early July due to a lack of rainfall. National NDVI values started well above average, dropped below that average in early May, and came again close to the five-year maximum from the middle of June to late June, before going below average again. These observations are confirmed by the NDVI profiles. Winter crops had generally favorable or even very favorable condition, with the high VCIx areas and NDVI clusters showing this pattern for Saxony, Sachsen-Anhalt, Thüringen, and northern Bavaria, though with the exception of the northern wheat areas and northeast mixed wheat and sugarbeets areas. Summer crops are about average in most of Germany according to the NDVI profiles, with the exception of an area southwest of the southern highland areas. This spatial pattern is also reflected by the maximum VCI in the different areas, with a VCIx of 0.84 for Germany overall. Generally, the values of agronomic indicators mentioned above indicate favorable condition for most winter and summer crops in Germany.

Figure 3.10. Germany crop condition, April - July 2016

(a) Crop condition development graph based on NDVI     (b) Maximum VCI

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