During this monitoring period from January to April 2022, winter wheat was the main crop being cultivated. It passed through tillering, green up, jointing and heading stages. Maize, rice and soybeans planting started in April. In general, the conditions for winter wheat were below average due to dry and cool weather. 

The proportion of irrigated cropland in United States is 16% and agro-meteorological conditions play an important role in the growth of most crops. Rainfall is not the major influential factor on irrigated cropland.Rainfall and temperature were 5% and 0.3°C below the 15-year average, respectively. Rainfall deficits were prevalent in major wheat production areas such as Kansas (-27%), Texas (-30%), Nebraska (-34%) and California (-66%). Below average rainfall in those major winter crops producing states resulted in water stress as the water demands for winter wheat increased significantly from green-up. The serious shortage of water caused a significant decrease of potential biomass, such as in Kansas (-17%), Texas (-18%), Nebraska (-17%) and Carlifornia (-33%). Due to below average rainfall, poor crop conditions were observed by CropWatch agronomic indicators. The cropped arable land fraction (CALF) was 47%, which was 11% below the average of the past five years. Main regions with a drop in CALF were the Southern and Northern Plains, as well as the Corn belt.  Crop conditions were poor across the highlands with maximum VCI values below 0.5. Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) departure clustering showed that the area most affected by the drought conditions was the Southern Plains.  In short, CropWatch assesses that crop conditions were poor for most of the winter wheat during this reporting period.

(a). Phenology of United States from January to April 2022

(b). Crop condition development graph based on NDVI

(c). Time series rainfall profile

(d). Time series temperature profile

(e). Maximum VCI

(f). Spatial distribution of NDVI profiles

Regional Analysis

Winter crops are grown mainly in the Southern Plains (No. 196), Northwest (No. 195) and California (No. 190). Winter wheat growth conditions are highly spatially heterogeneous due to different agroclimatic, agronomic and irrigation infrastructure conditions.

1. Southern Plains

The Southern Plains is the most important winter wheat growing region and includes Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. During this reporting period, winter wheat growth was poor due to severe water shortages caused by insufficient rainfall between March and April (Figure h). CropWatch agroclimatic indicators showed below-average rainfall (-14%) and temperature (-0.4°C), which were not conducive to winter wheat growth. The maximum vegetation condition index (VCIx) was 0.58 and potential biomass was 13% below average. In addition to the poor conditions, it is noteworthy that the percentage of the cropped arable land fraction was reduced by 24% compared to the 5-year average. The reduced CALF might be related to the delayed sowing of the summer crops. In short, CropWatch assesses crop growth in the southern plains as below average and crop production for this monitoring period is expected to be below average.

(g). Crop condition development graph in South Plain

(h).X Time series rainfall pofile

2. Northwest

The Northwest is another important winter wheat production area in the United States. Crop growth conditions in this region were slightly below average due to cold and dry weather, but still better than in 2021. Compared to the past 15-year average, rainfall and temperatures were 14% and 0.8°C below average, respectively. Potential biomass in the Northwest was 7% below average due to dry and cold weather. Other agronomic indicators show near-average crop conditions, with CALF 3% above average and a maximum vegetation condition index of 0.78. 

(i). Crop condition development graph in Northwest

3. California

California is the most important producer of vegetables and fruits in the United States. It also is a major producer of winter wheat, which reached the maturity stage by late April. NDVI development profile indicates below-average crop conditions. California experienced severe rainfall deficits throughout the monitoring period. Rainfall was 65% lower than the 15YA and temperatures were 0.5°C warmer than the 15YA. The severe drought resulted in a 32% reduction in potential biomass. Most crops in California can be irrigated, although water levels in the reservoirs are relatively low due to the prolonged drought. As a result of the irrigation, CALF and the VCIx were near average during this reporting period. In short, CropWatch assesses California's crop conditions as below average.

(j). Crop condition development graph in California

(k). Time series rainfall pofile of Carlifornia

Table 3.1.United States' agroclimatic indicators by sub-national regions, current season's values and departure from 15YA, January - April 2022

Table 3.2. United States’agronomic indicators by sub-national regions, current season's values and departure, January - April 2022