Loess region

Maize was harvested in late September and early October, and winter wheat in the Loess region has been planted at the end of the monitoring period. According to the crop condition development graph based on NDVI, crops were gradually ripening from August to early September, after which they were harvested from mid-September to the end of the monitoring period. The temperature (TEMP) was close to average while radiation was well below (RADPAR -11%). Abundant precipitation (RAIN +28%) resulted in a potential biomass production potential (BIOMSS) to be above average (+17%). In most of the area, the analyses based on spatial NDVI clusters and profiles are consistent with VCIx. The most favorable conditions occurred mainly in the north-central part of Shaanxi and the west and south central part of Shanxi from July to October, due to the abundant rainfall and suitable sunlight. On the contrary—and mostly because of drought during the monitoring period (as confirmed by the maps of potential biomass)—crops were in unfavorable condition (compared to the five-year average) in most parts of Gansu and Ningxia, especially in central Gansu. Moreover, the cropped arable land fraction (CALF) decreased by 2% compared with recent years, resulting in a relatively pessimistic crop production outlook for the region, which was also confirmed by figure 4.3.

Figure 4.15a. Loess region crop condition development graph based on NDVI, comparing the current season up to October 2017 to the previous season, to the five-year average (5YA), and to the five-year maximum

Figure 4.15b. Loess region spatial NDVI patterns for July to October 2017 (compared to the (5YA) (left) and NDVI profiles associated with these spatial patterns (right)

Figure 4.15c. Loess region maximum VCI, July-October 2017

Figure 4.15d. Loess region BIOMSS, July-October 2017