The condition of crops was partly below average in Southwest China between July and October. The period coincides with the region’s harvest season for maize and single cropped rice and the planting of winter wheat. NDVI profiles kept close to their average five-year level from July to the end of September, but then fell rapidly below average in October. The NDVI in eastern Sichuan, most of Chongqing and southern Gansu was slightly below the five-year average level. The maximum VCI in southern Gansu was in the range of 0.5-0.8 or below. The following areas should be paid attention to: eastern Sichuan, northern Chongqing, southern Gansu, western Hubei, and western Guizhou. CropWatch found below average precipitation in Chongqing (RAIN, -12%) and Guizhou (-9%), which will have a negative impact on crop condition.

(a) Crop condition development graph based on NDVI

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

(d) Maximum VCI                                                                (e) Biomass