Aug 31, 2010
Dry Weather Extending Into Northern Parana, Impacting Wheat
Author: Michael Cordonnier/Soybean & Corn Advisor, Inc.
The dry weather that has reduced sugarcane yields in Sao Paulo has also extended into northern Parana and is impacting the potential wheat yield in the state. In the hardest hit areas the wheat yields may be down 30% compared to earlier estimates. Farmers in the state have planted 1.04 million hectares of wheat in 2010 with an estimated total production of 3 million tons.
The dryer than normal winter season is expected to impact the later developing wheat. Some of the earlier developing wheat will be ready to harvest in about three weeks and it escaped the worst of the dry weather. Much of the later developing wheat encountered the dryer conditions during vegetative development and head formation, which is when the crop is more susceptible to adverse conditions.
In contrast to the wheat in the state of Parana, the wheat crop in Rio Grande do Sul has encountered favorable conditions during its development and yields are expected to be normal across the state. Virtually all the wheat grown in Brazil will be followed by a double crop of soybeans which is planted after the wheat is harvested.