Agrometeorological activity

The department of agrometeorology is a structural division of the Centre for weather conditions analysis , forecasting and maintenance of the Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Centre, it is headed by chief of department. 15 experts of agrometeorology  work in the department, the majority of them have operational experience in the department of more than 10 years.

Structurally the department consists of 3 sectors:

•         Sector of forecasting across Ukraine
•         Sector of forecasting in the Kyiv area
•         Sector for agrometeorological conditions

The basic tasks of the department are:

• Study and estimation of laws of meteorological and climatic conditions of agricultural production formation in terms of geography and time;
• A quantitative estimation of meteorological factors influence on development, condition and efficiency of agricultural crops;
• Forecasting harvest of basic agricultural crops;
• Operative provision of agricultural producers with agrometeorological information;
• Substantiation of new varieties and hybrids of agricultural plants zoning and substantiation of methods of the fullest  use of climate resources for agriculture efficiency increase;
• Justifying differentiated use of agricultural techniques according to the formed and expected weather conditions, with due account of mechanization and chemicalization of agricultural production.

To solve these problems and improve methods and means of research on the basis of scientific and technological progress, the department of agrometeorology studies requirements of agricultural objects to weather conditions and establishes the quantitative relationship between these conditions and processes of growth, development and formation of agricultural crop plants. Using agrometeorological and agroclimatic data it  allows to assess the degree of weather and climate opportuneness for wintering and  formation of agricultural crop plants, to judge the need of melioration and agricultural activities to obtain the target harvest, etc.

The information on occurrence and development of droughts, their intensity and scope of territory is important for agricultural institutions and is a basis for acceptance of various administrative and economic decisions as for  consequences of droughts concerning mitigation, minimization of losses from them, and beforehand as much as  possible. During the period before sowing  it enables to correct the structure of  sown areas (for example to increase the areas of drought – enduring cultures and species), or to focus economies on application of save-moisture technologies at the initial stages.

The department of agrometeorology is a structure which possesses the fullest  information on condition of crops and current agrometeorological conditions of agricultural plants cultivation and has opportunity to adequately and objectively estimate the future harvest of basic crops. The department receives and processes information from 126 meteorological stations which have agrometeorological section of works and carry out monitoring of main crops on representative fields in areas of their activity which are priority in a concrete region. The Functions of the department include provision of  bodies of state power, the Ministery  of Agrarian Policy of Ukraine and related agencies with  agrometeorological materials:

• Decade agrometeorological  bulletins  across Ukraine and the Kiev area;
• Agrometeorological forecasts, including  yield and  total  harvest of crops;
• Reviews of agrometeorological conditions of crops cultivation and their wintering;
• Agroclimatic manuals in Ukraine, its oblasts and districts;
• Agrometeorological year-books in  Ukraine and  Kiev area;
• Special information on abnormal conditions of growth and development of crops;
• Results of ground inspections and agrometeorological characteristics of conditions of vegetation, wintering of winter crops, perennial grasses, fruit - trees, etc.
• The information on rainfall, stocks of moisture, levels of ground waters, snow cover, soil temperature of ground at  depth of tillering node, warming up of soils, warming up of arable layer of soil  during the vernal period, accumulation of effective heat, etc. and agrometeorological conditions and forecasts of crops.

The department has a databank of regime and scientific and  operative agrometeorological data.