OK, and even impressively written. 03:56:37 CST Thursday, 15 February 2018

The most relevant crop during the monitoring period was the currently hibernating winter wheat. Crop condition was inferior to last year’s except for late October and early November. However, in late October, early November and late December, crop condition recovered to slightly exceed the five-year average. Radiation (RADPAR, -12%) was below average for the region, and so was temperature (TEMP, -0.3°C). Precipitation (RAIN, +113%) was far above average, which resulted in the potential biomass (BIOMSS) above average as well (+67%). In most of the region, the analyses based on spatial NDVI clusters and profiles are consistent with VCIx. The most favorable conditions occurred mainly in the middle and east of Gansu province and in the south of Ningxia province, due to the abundant rainfall. Moreover, the cropped arable land fraction (CALF) increased by 14% compared with recent years, which shows a favorable crop prospects in the region.

Figure 4.9. Crop condition China Loess region, October-January, 2018

(a) Crop condition development graph based on NDVI

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

(d) Maximum VCI                                                (e) Biomass