ADMS

The Institute of Soil Science and Plant Cultivation - State Research Institute in accordance with an Act from the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development has developed the climatic water balance for all Polish municipalities (3,064 municipalities), and based on the soils categories have identified in those municipalities the current agricultural drought risk for the following crops: winter and spring cereals, corn for grain and silage, oilseed rape and turnip rape, sugar beet, potatoes, hops, tobacco, field vegetables, shrubs and fruit trees and strawberries and legumes.

In the eight reporting period, i.e. from June 11 to August 10, 2015, an area particularly vulnerable to water shortages, as in the previous reporting period, was still in Lublin region (and particularly its northern regions).

Very low values of climatic water balance were also found in the southern areas of the Mazowieckie, Podlaskie and Lubelskie voivodeship. KBW values in these areas ranged from -180 to -189 mm.

Low values CWB still occurred in the eastern part of the Lodzkie voivodeship and in the center of Mazowieckie, Podlaskie and Opolskie voivodeships ranged from -170 to -179 mm.

In the current reporting period to areas of high water scarcity also belongs northern parts of Świętokrzyskie voievodeship, western areas of Lodzkie voivodeship, northern areas of Mazowieckie and Podlaskie voivodeships, southern of Lubelskie and Opolskie voivodeship, and in the central part of Dolnoślaskie voivodeship, in these areas water deficit ranges from -160 to -169 mm.

During the current reporting period, the value of CWB in Poland compared to the previous reporting period has decreased. On average for the country CWB value compared to the previous period were lower by 9 mm.

We inform that on the basis of the existing in 2015 “Regulation of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development on the value of climatic water balance (CWB)”, meaning the occurrence of drought for selected groups and crop species and soil categories during the growing season, and the designated critical values CWB, meaning the occurrence 20% yields reduction at local district scale in a given year as compared to yields obtained during multiannual averages of weather conditions, that the risk of agricultural drought occurs in Poland.

The threat of drought Polish agricultural area occurred in five reporting periods. Drought in 2015 occurred among 8 groups and plant species:

• Spring cereals
• Winter cereals
• Shrubs
• Strawberries
• Legumes
• Rape and turnip rape
• Tobacco
• Ground vegetables

The total number of local districts threatened by drought this year in Poland and the participation of local district at risk (in%) Table presents. 1.

Table 1.

Table 2.A potential area of under agricultural drought risk in 2015 in Poland are presented in

In the eight reporting period, i.e. from 11 June to 10 August 2015 risk of agricultural drought occurred among fruit shrubs on Polish territory within 16 local districts, i.e. 0.5% of Polish local district on a surface of 0.1% of arable land, the details are presented in Table. 3.

Table 3.

We inform that each water deficit reduces the crops yield. The shortage of water is greater and the longer it takes, the yield reduction is higher. The occurrence of critical CWB value means the average yield reduction in the local district scale by 20% in a given year as compared to the yield obtained with the multi-annual average weather conditions. So, if IUNG-PIB announces the occurrence of agricultural drought, this means that the final yields in a given local district for the cultivation of which thresholds were exceeded, will be lower by 20% in a given year as compared to the yield obtained with the multi-annual average weather conditions. Very often it happens that the value of CWB are close to critical values, but they are not exceeded, it means that the average loss in yield in the local district does not exceed 20%. However, it should be noted that in this case in the individual households the yield losses can be as high as 30-40%. It should also be noted that in the case of reporting, that the drought has not occurred within the meaning of the Act, it should be stressed that any shortage of water for crops results in a reduction in crop yields and that drought occurred in the area, causing a loss in a farm depending on its severity. Estimated value in the amount of yield losses on a scale of local district, do not rule out that the losses on the farm could be even more than 25-30%. The local soil and climatic conditions of specific fields may in fact differ from the modeling results on a large scale (local district) and the amount of losses in a particular field may specify a specially appointed committee, whose purpose should be to verify the effects of drought in the area (local district).

Below the weather conditions in June, July and in the first ten days of August.

In June the lowest temperature occurred in the north of the country and the highest in the southern parts of Poland. In the first ten days of June on the Baltic coast and in Żuławy recorded below 15 °C. In the Mazury Lake District. Podlasie Lowland. and in the Lubuskie region average air temperature was 15 °C. In Polish Highlands, Śląska and Mazowiecka Lowland a temperature was recorded from 16.5 °C to 17.5 °C. In contrast, the highest temperature (above 17.5 °C) was recorded in the Sandomierz Basin and in the vicinity of Krakow and Opole.

In July, there have been very similar distribution of air temperature on Polish territory as in June. The lowest air temperature was recorded in the northern and north - eastern parts of the country. In contrast, the highest temperature was recorded in the south-western areas. In the northern regions of the country was recorded a temperature even below 17.0 degrees. In the southern areas of the Pomorskie Lakeland, Mazurskie Lakeland, Podlaska Lowland it was also chilly with temperatures ranging from 17 °C to 18 °C. At the Highlands and Lowlands of Poland recorded a high temperature of 18 °C to 20 °C. In contrast, the highest temperature (above 20 °C) was recorded in southern areas of the Śląska Lowland and the Karpaty Foothills, in some parts of the area were recorded even above 21 ° C.

The temperature distribution in the first ten days of August did not deviate from its distribution in June and July. Coldest, still was on the Embankment, in the northern part of the Pomorskie Lake District and Żuławy, below 21 ° C. In the southern parts of the Pomorskie Lake District, and in the area of the Mazurskie Lake District recorded a temperature of 21 to 23 ° C. The warmest it was the Śląska Lowland from 24.5 to over 25 ° C. In the rest of the country recorded from 23 to 24.5 ° C.

Precipitation in June of this year were characterized by a very large diversity in the country. Relatively high precipitation occurred in the south - west and the northern part of the Poland from 60 to 90 mm and sometimes even exceeded 90 mm. By contrast, relatively small and very low rainfall was recorded in eastern and especially in northern eastern and southern eastern parts of the country and in the Central Polish Lowlands waist of less than 20 mm to 40 mm.

In July precipitation occurred in five main stripes, three of which were characterized by a relatively high rainfall from 70 to 100 mm, and two of them precipitation smaller - amounting to as low as less than 30 to 70 mm. Higher rainfall (above 70 mm) occurred on the Baltic coast, in northern regions of the Pomorskie Lake District, on Ziemia Lubuska, Wielkopolskie and Mazurskie Lakeland and south-eastern Poland. In contrast, areas with less rainfall (less than 70 mm) were in the southern regions of the Pomorskie Lake District, and Plains: Wielkopolska, Śląska, Mazowiecka, Podlaska and Wyżyny Polskie

The first ten days of August was characterised by a very different precipitation and on a large area was even an lack of them or too small instance. An area with very low rainfall (less than 2 mm) was Lowlands: Szczecińska, Śląska, Mazowiecka, Podlaska and Lubelska. Only slightly more rainfall occurred in the lake districts: Pomorskie, Wielkopolskie and also on the Polish Highlands and in the Beskidy Mountains from 2 to 20 mm in some places up to 40 mm.