Published in Scientific Papers. Series A. Agronomy, Vol. LXVIII, Issue 2
Written by Atanas SEVOV, Veska GEORGIEVA
Trends of changing climatic conditions in recent years have created serious challenges for the cultivation of the region's traditional spring crops. Analysis of agro-climatic conditions shows a shift towards prolonged rainless periods combined with extremely high temperatures leading to heat and water stress. This worsens the hydrothermal conditions during the vegetative and generative stages. The succession of warm winters and the resulting unhardened plants are stressed, and the significant temperature amplitudes after the resumption of vegetation further deteriorate the phytopathological environment. Conditions of permanent soil and atmospheric drought are observed during all phenological phases. All this creates unfavourable conditions for the development of spring crops. They are particularly dangerous at the generative stage of plant development, which, combined with water deficit conditions, results in the impossibility of growing high-yielding mid- to late-season hybrids under non-flooded conditions. The analysis of conditions in recent years shows that optimisation and balance of the standard technological regimes of crop cultivation should be sought on the one hand and a differentiated approach applied to the different soil types, rainfall and temperature zones on the other.
[Read full article] [Citation]
