Due to the cold winter weather, no crops were grown in the northeast region of China during this monitoring season (January to April 2023). CropWatch Agroclimatic Indicators (CWAIs) show that the total precipitation decreased by 4%. It was below average in March and it returned to above average in April. The photosynthetically active radiation was below average (RADPAR - 1%), and the temperatures were above average (TEMP +1.5°C). Altogether, the potential biomass was 8% above the fifteen-year average level.

The increase of precipitation in April and the gradual recovery of temperature are beneficial for the spring sowing in the northeast region of China. However, the low precipitation in western part of Heilongjiang province and Jilin province lead to poor soil moisture, which may affect spring sowing and early crop growth to a certain extent. Warmer temperatures and abundant precipitation in May facilitate the germination and good establishment of the summer crops.

 Figure 4.8 Crop condition China Northeast region, January - April 2023

（a） Crop condition development graph based on NDVI

（b） Time series rainfall pofile

(c) Time series temperature pofile

(d) Potential biomass departure from 15YA