The reporting period covers the harvesting of late summer crops (soybean, maize and rice) and the sowing of wheat. It is mainly a fallow period for early summer crops. The situation in South America varied greatly among the different subregions. For Argentina several of the agroclimatic indices were poor. The North of the Brazilian agricultural area showed strong positive temperature anomalies during the entire reporting period and negative anomalies in rainfall during April. For the rest of the MPZ, most indices showed good conditions for crop development.

Spatial distribution of rainfall profiles showed five homogeneous profiles. A profile with almost no anomalies (light green profile) was observed in most of Argentina, except for Center East Pampas and North Mesopotamia. The north of the Brazilian agricultural area, including Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Goias, Sao Paulo, and Minas Gerais, as well as part of Uruguay and Center West Pampas in Argentina, showed a profile with negative anomalies at the beginning of the reporting period, with reductions up to mid-June. Thereafter, no more anomalies were observed (red profile). Other profiles sowed higher variability. The dark green profile showed slight positive anomalies in April and mid-June, and negative anomalies from mid-May to the beginning of June and since the end of June. It covered parts of Mato Grosso do Sul, Sao Paulo, Parana and Santa Catarina states, East Paraguay and North Mesopotamia in Argentina. The blue profile showed strong positive anomalies in mid-April and mid-June and negative anomalies at the end of April, from mid-May to the beginning of June, and at the end of June. It was located in Parana and Santa Catarina states. The orange profile showed positive anomalies at the begining of May and in mid-July, and negative anomalies during April, from mid-May to the beginning of June, and at the end of June.   

Temperature profiles showed five homogeneous profiles distributed along a north-south gradient. A profile with positive anomalies all along the reporting period, starting with strong positive anomalies, with a tendency to reduce since the end of April (red profile), was observed in part of North Mato Grosso, Goias, and Minas Gerais states in Brazil. A profile with positive anomalies during most of the reporting period, except for a strong negative anomaly was observed in mid-June (blue profile). It covered Mato Grosso, and Sao Paulo states. A profile with low variability showing slight positive and negative anomalies (dark green profile) was observed for West Santa Catarina, Parana, and Sao Paulo states. The light green profile showed high variability with positive anomalies in mid-May, the beginning and end of June, and the beginning of July, and negative anomalies in mid-May, mid-June, and mid-July. This profile was observed in Paraguay, North Mesopotamia in Argentina, and Río Grande do Sul, East Parana and Santa Catarina states. Finally, a profile with high variability showing negative anomalies in mid-April, mid-May, mid-June, and mid-July and positive anomalies in end-April, from mid-May to begging  June, end of June, and beginning of June (orange profile) was observed in most of Argentina, Uruguay, and South Rio Grande do Sul state in Brazil.

The BIOMSS departure map showed poor conditions in most of the MPZ. Negative anomalies were observed in Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Goias, Minas Gerais, Sao Paulo and Parana states in Brazil, as well as in part of Center and South Pampas in Argentina. Positive anomalies were observed in North Pampas, West Chaco, and Subtropical Highlands in Argentina. The rest of the MPZ showed a mixture of slight negative and positive anomalies.  Maximum VCI showed good conditions, with values higher than 0.8, in almost all Brazilian agricultural areas, Paraguay and East Uruguay. Argentina showed, in general, poor conditions with values below 0.8, except for Mesopotamia, West Subtropical Highlands, and part of South Pampas. Crop Arable Land Fraction was high in almost all the areas of Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay. In Argentina uncropped areas were mainly observed in Center and West Pampas.

In summary, several agroclimatic indices showed poor conditions in part of Pampas: low VCIx values, low BIOMSS, and some uncropped areas. The north of the the Brazilian agricultural area showed strong positive temperature anomalies all along the reporting period and negative precipitation anomalies during April, as well as negative anomalies in BIOMSS. The rest of the MPZ showed quite good conditions. In most of the MPZ, precipitation deficits became smaller at the end of the reporting period. Temperature anomalies were positive on average.

a) Spatial distribution of rainfall profiles. b) Profiles of rainfall departure from average (mm). 

c) Spatial distribution of temperature profiles. d) Profiles of temperature departure from average (°C).

e) Potential biomass departure from 5YA.

f) Maximum VCI.

g) Cropped and uncropped arable land.