The drought that has persisted for weeks in Saxony is causing problems for farmers. Although the summer grain harvest is over, farmers have long since sown winter crops such as winter barley, rapeseed and winter wheat. "Rainfall is urgently needed for their growth," explained Andreas Jahnel, head of department at the state farmers' association. Heat and drought are also becoming a problem for the maize that is still standing in the fields.
Drought stress for the plants
The so-called plant-available water in the topsoil has once again reached the critical range in large parts of Saxony, said Jahnel. He was referring to the drought monitor of the Environmental Research Center (UFZ) in Leipzig. This shows that the plants in Saxony, with the exception of the Erzgebirge, are suffering from drought stress or have already reached the point where they are wilting and withering away.
Individual heavy thunderstorms in recent weeks have not been able to change the overall situation, explained Jahnel. "The dry soil is usually unable to absorb this heavy rainfall."
