Crop condition from April to July 2015 was below average in Thailand. In most areas, the main riceis in the sowing stage (particularly in the northeastern region), while the harvest of the country’s second rice crop was completed in June. Accumulated rainfall was below average during the monitoring period, while the temperature and radiation were above. The agroclimatic indices show poor growing condition,which is confirmed by the decrease of the BIOMSS index by 13%. The VCIx mapp resents a consistent spatial pattern with the NDVI cluster map in the central and northeastern regions.

Crop condition was below average from April to June in the southeast region and the south of the central region. Favorable crop condition is found in the areas from the Ang-Thong toSingburi provinces, extending north to Phitsanulok province. In Lopburi and Chaiyaphum provinces in the central region, as well as in the northwest region,crops developed under favorable conditions from April to May, but then deteriorated from June and recovered to an average level at the end of July.Overall, the outcome for the second season rice is unfavorable; the cropcon dition of main rice for Thailand can be assessed as poor or mixed.

Figure3.28. Thailand 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