In the Loess region, winter wheat was harvested from early to mid-June, and summermaize has been planted during the monitoring period. Whencompared to average, PAR accumulation (RADPAR) increased 1%,while temperature dropped by 0.6°C and rainfall by 20%. Up to June, condition of crops was only below the five-year average, but by the end of July it was below both that averageand last year’s level, with a VCIx value of 0.87. The spatial NDVI clusters and profiles indicate that crop condition fluctuatedin almost all the seven months covered in the graphs; condition was favorable in the northwest of Henan and central Shaanxi provinces duringthe monitoring period, with the exception of the period in early June. Onthe contrary—and mostly because of the below average precipitation (whichis confirmed by the maps of potential biomass), crops were in poor condition(compared to the five-year average) in the northeast of Gansu and northof Shaanxiand Shanxiprovinces. The fraction of arable land actually cropped decreased4 percentage points, possibly as a result of lower temperature and below average rainfall.

Figure4.11. Crop condition China Loess region, April-July 2015

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

(d)Maximum VCI                                                                                                        (e)Biomass