Overall, crop condition in Germany over the monitoring period is average to below-average, and below last year’s condition. Winter wheat, spring barley, and maize are the main grain crops of Germany; currently, winter wheat has been harvested, while spring barley and maize are in the vegetative stage. The country’s spatial NDV Iindicates a situation that on the whole is below average, except for 18% of crop areas scattered across the west of Baden-Wuerttemberg, northwest Bayern, westernSachsen, northern Schleswig-Holstein, and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. This spatialpattern is also reflected by the maximum VCI in the different areas, with aVCIx of 0.81 for Germany overall. According to the crop condition map based onNDVI, Germany enjoyed a better situation than the five-year average from Aprilto May due to sufficient rainfall, but this period was followed by severe waterstress and high temperature, which lead to a worsening of the situation. Thecropped arable land fraction was average compared to the five-year average. TheCropWatch agroclimatic indicators show that the reporting period recorded a 24%drop in RAIN compared to average, a 0.2°C decrease in TEMP, and 1% aboveaverage RADPAR at the national level. With the rainfall deficit and hightemperatures, BIOMSS on the national level is expected to decrease by 19% comparedto the five-year average.

Figure3.10. Germany crop condition, April-July2015

(a)Crop condition development graph based on NDVI                               (b)Maximum VCI

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