During the reporting period, maize was harvested in late September and early October. Sowing of winter wheat was completed in late October.

The CropWatch Agro-climatic Indicators (CWAIs) show that the temperature (TEMP +1.3℃) and radiation (RADPAR +5%) in this region exceeded the 15YA, whereas precipitation was below (RAIN -5%). The combination resulted in a diminished potential for biomass production (BIOMSS -1%) compared to the average. According to the regional NDVI development map, the overall crop condition in the Loess region was below average in July and then recovered to the 5YA.

The NDVI departure cluster profiles indicate that about 29.5% of the regions experienced significant fluctuations in crop growth. They were significantly below average in July and September, but gradually recovered to the average in late October. These regions are mainly distributed in parts of Northwest Shaanxi, Gansu, and Ningxia provinces. Crop conditions in other areas were close to the average during the monitoring period. The Maximum VCI value was 0.88, lower than the 0.93 in the same period of last year. The fraction of cropped arable land under cultivation is 94%, which was 3% below the 5YA. The CPIx in the region was 0.93, which is less than 1.

In general, the crop conditions in the Loess region were average.

Figure.a Crop condition development graph based on NDVI

Figure.b Spatial distribution of NDVI profiles

Figure.c Time series rainfall profile

Figure.d Time series temperature profile

Figure.e Maximum VCI

Figure.f Potential biomass departure from 5YA