During this monitoring period, maize and sorghum (spring to summer) were still growing, while rice (spring to summer) was being harvested. Overall, crop condition was average according to the crop condition development graph based on NDVI.

The CropWatch agroclimatic indicators show that rainfall and temperature separately dropped below average by 9% and 0.2°C while RADPAR increased by 2%. Consequently, BIOMSS was below average by 6%. In contrast, CALF and cropping intensity increased respectively by 5% and 3%. The map of spatial patterns for maximum VCI show that high values (larger than 0.5) of this indicator are widespread, while low values occur only in western Sinaloa, northern Chihuahua and Tamaulipas provinces. According to the graph for spatial NDVI patterns and NDVI profiles, crop condition was above average in 68.9% of planted areas, mainly in Veracruz, Tabasco, Coahuila, Guanajuato, and Jalisco. On the contrary, crops in western Sinaloa, southwestern and northern Sonora, and northern Chihuahua and Tamaulipas (accounting for about 31% of all cropland), experienced below or close to average crop condition, a pattern also confirmed by maximum VCI.

Altogether, crop yields for this season in Mexico are expected to be above average.

Figure 3.20. Mexico crop condition, July-October 2016

(a) Crop condition development graph based on NDVI

  (b) Maximum VCI

(c) Spatial NDVI patterns compared to 5YA and the coresponding NDVI departure profiles