JRC MARS bulletin : crop monitoring in Europe. Vol. 25 No 11, November 2017.
Date: 2018-04-05
Institutions: Joint Research Centre
Subjects: agricultural situation, atmospheric conditions, climatology, crop production, crop yield, meteorology, serial publication

1

JRC MARS Bulletin Vol. 25 No 11

Period covered: 1 October-20 November 
Issued: 27 November 2017

JRC MARS Bulletin
Crop monitoring in Europe
November 2017 
Rainfall affects sowing in northern areas
Continued drought in the Iberian Peninsula   

Weather conditions for field operations have predominantly been favourable in most of France and the main cropping regions 
of the United Kingdom, but challenging in many other parts of Europe.

In  northern  Germany,  northern  Poland  and  Lithuania, 
the  abundant  rain  continued  and  delayed  field  oper- 
ations. Rapeseed is worst affected, as its optimal sow-
ing window has finished and a reduction in the planted 
area is expected.
In Spain, Portugal and the Maghreb region, the drought 
conditions  continue:  the  very  scant  rainfall  in  October 
was insufficient and more rain is needed to allow good 
germination  and  emergence  before  the  closing  of  the 
optimal sowing window in mid December.
In western France, central Italy and the south-eastern 
United Kingdom, cumulative precipitation has been half 

the average for this period of the year, without negative 
impacts.
In  Greece,  after  a  dry  period,  abundant  precipitation 
occurred throughout the country, with 200 mm of rain-
fall  between  7  and  15  November  causing  localised 
damage.
Similar  extreme  events  were  recorded  in  Turkey  and 
southern  Italy.  In  Ireland,  strong  winds  of  Hurricane 
Ophelia lodged the green maize crops that were still in 
the field, with negative impacts at national level.

Yield (t/ha)

Crop

Avg 5yrs

October
Bulletin

MARS 2017 
forecasts

% Diff
17/5yrs

% Diff
October

TOTAL CEREALS

Total Wheat

soft wheat

durum wheat

Total Barley

spring barley

winter barley

Grain maize

Rye

Triticale

Rape and turnip rape

Potato

Sugar beet

Sunflower

Issued: 24 November 2017

5.30

5.60

5.84

3.33

4.83

4.22

5.68

6.89

3.89

4.20

3.25

32.6

72.2

1.94

5.33

5.70

5.94

3.51

4.73

3.94

5.76

6.91

3.84

4.18

3.25

33.7

76.7

2.08

5.33

5.70

5.94

3.52

4.73

3.94

5.76

6.92

3.84

4.19

3.25

34.2

76.8

2.08

+ 0.6

+ 1.8

+ 1.8

+ 5.5

- 2.1

- 6.6

+ 1.3

+ 0.3

- 1.2

- 0.3

- 0.1

+ 5.0

+ 6.4

+ 7.1

+ 0.0

+ 0.0

+ 0.0

+ 0.3

+ 0.0

+ 0.0

+ 0.0

+ 0.1

+ 0.0

+ 0.2

+ 0.0

+ 1.5

+ 0.1

+ 0.0

1
Agro-meteorological 
overview

2
Sowing conditions — 
Update

3
Sugar beet review

4
 Crop yield forecasts

5
Atlas

Joint
Research
Centre

MARS Bulletin Vol. 25 No 11 — 27 November 2017 2

1.  Agro-meteorological overview

Warmer-than-usual weather conditions prevailed 
in most parts of Europe. For the period under analysis 
as a whole, temperatures in central and eastern Europe 
were  between  0.5 °C  and  2 °C  higher  than  normal. 
Anomalies  were  more  pronounced  in  the  Iberian  Pen-
insula  and  north-eastern  Europe  (between  + 2 °C  and 
+ 4 °C). Temporal variability in temperature anomalies 
was  high,  with  pronounced  warm  anomalies  affecting 
central  and  western  Europe  in  October,  and  eastern 
Europe during the first two dekads of November. Max-
imum  temperatures  reached  around  25 °C  in  central 
Europe  during  the  second  dekad  of  October.  In  large 
parts of southern Europe, maximum recorded temper-
atures  reached  over  25 °C,  and  the  southern  part  of 
the Iberian Peninsula experienced temperatures above 
30 °C. 
Colder-than-usual  conditions  prevailed  during  the 
first dekad of October in south-eastern Europe, during 
the third dekad of October in the Baltic countries and 
Finland, and during the second dekad of November in 
France  and  the  Alpine  region.  Temperature  anomalies 
during  these  events  were  generally  between  − 0.5 °C 
and − 4 °C compared with the long-term average. 
Minimum recorded temperatures were mainly above 
− 5 °C in most of Europe, with the exception of moun-
tainous  areas,  Scandinavia  and  north-eastern  Europe. 
The number of cold days (with minimum daily tempera-
ture below 0 °C) in central and eastern Europe was five 

to  fifteen  days  fewer  than  indicated  by  the  long-term 
average. 
Drier-than-usual  conditions  prevailed  in  northern 
Morocco,  north-western  Algeria,  the  Iberian  Peninsula, 
France,  southern  and  eastern  England,  central  and 
northern Italy and the northern Balkan region; cumula-
tive precipitation in these regions was mainly between 
50 %  and  80 %  below  the  long-term  average.  The 
period under analysis is among the driest 1 October to 
20 November  periods  on  our  records  in  south-eastern 
and eastern England, the Iberian Peninsula, south-west-
ern and Mediterranean parts of France, and north-west-
ern Italy. Less than 20 mm of rainfall was recorded in 
the  southern  part  of  the  Iberian  Peninsula,  northern 
Morocco and north-western Algeria. 
Wetter-than-usual  conditions  prevailed  in  central 
Europe,  the  western  Black  Sea  region,  Scandinavia 
and many regions of eastern Europe. Cumulative pre- 
cipitation over the southern Baltic region and southern 
Romania exceeded the long-term average by more than 
100 %.  Cumulative  precipitation  regionally  exceeded 
150 mm in many areas of south-eastern Europe, north-
ern  Alpine  regions,  the  northern  British  Isles,  southern 
Scandinavia and southern Baltic regions. 
Daily  rainfall  events  exceeding  5 mm  occurred 
locally in central Italy, Sicily, southern France, the west-
ern  Balkans  along  the  Adriatic  coast,  Greece,  western 
Black Sea regions and southern Norway.

MARS Bulletin Vol. 25 No 11 — 27 November 2017 3

MARS Bulletin Vol. 25 No 11 — 27 November 2017 4

2.  Autumn sowing progress update

 y  Rapeseed  crops  establishing  well  in  the  United 
Kingdom and France; failures to complete planned 
sowing areas due to excessively wet conditions in 
northern Germany and the Baltic countries.

 y  Winter  cereals  sowing  practically  completed  in 
central and northern Europe; reduction in acreage 
in Scandinavia and Baltic countries; good progress 
in southern Europe, where, however, more rain is 
needed for adequate crop establishment.

 y  Drier-than-usual  conditions  for  durum  wheat  in 

the main producing countries.

Rapeseed

Crops establishing well in the United Kingdom and France, ‘dropouts’ in many other regions 

Due to the extreme wet or dry conditions, which were 
also prevalent before October, and related difficulties 
with field access for machinery, rapeseed sowing was 
reduced.  This  applies  in  particular  to  coastal  areas 
of  the  Netherlands,  Germany,  Poland  and  the  Baltic 
countries. 
In France, winter rapeseed is progressing well and crop 
development is advanced, thanks to beneficial condi-
tions. Rapeseed was sown early this year there, before 
a long rainy period hampered sowing. In northern Ger-
many and further east, this was not the case: the har-
vest of the preceding crops was late, which meant that 
rapeseed sowing was shifted forward, to an overly wet 
period; consequently it was further delayed and even-
tually not sown at all. These problems are confirmed by 
a German survey (1), according to which the decrease 
—  by  up  to  17 %  —  in  areas  sown  with  rapeseed  in 
the  worst-affected  northern  regions  (Niedersachsen, 
Schleswig-Holstein  and  Mecklenburg-Vorpommern) 
was  partly  counteracted  by  an  increase  in  Rhein-

land-Pfalz and Bayern, resulting in an overall decrease 
of almost 2 % at national level. Poland’s winter rape-
seed area is apparently even further diminished with 
respect to the planned sowing areas as a result of the 
same difficulties encountered in Germany. Similar con-
ditions are expected for the Baltic countries. 
In  Bulgaria,  Romania  and  the  Iberian  Peninsula,  the 
sowing of rapeseed was hampered by dry conditions, 
e.g. failures to sow planned areas were reported for 
the lower Danube basin (locally up to – 30 %).
Where rapeseed has been sown, crops have generally 
progressed  well.  The  warmer-than-usual  conditions 
were  also  highly  beneficial  in  the  United  Kingdom 
(with only a few local failures to sow planned areas) 
and  other  central  and  northern  European  regions, 
especially  in  the  late-sown  areas,  allowing  crops  to 
make  up  their  development  before  winter.  On  the 
other hand, because of the warmer and wetter condi-
tions, pests and diseases are of greater concern than 
in average years.

Soft wheat, barley, rye and triticale

Sowing completed in central and northern Europe; good progress in southern countries

The  sowing  campaign  of  winter  cereals  is  practically 
completed  in  western,  northern,  central  and  eastern 
Europe.  In  the  United  Kingdom,  Ireland  and  northern 
Germany,  where  wet  weather  hampered  the  start  of 
the sowing campaign, sowing is also nearly concluded; 
in  these  countries,  emerging  crops  seem  to  be  estab-

lishing  well  and  are  quite  uniform,  helped  by  higher-
than-usual  soil  temperatures.  In  Scandinavian  and 
Baltic countries, delays to the harvest and high rainfall 
had  strong  knock-on  effects  on  sowing  activities,  with 
a consequent significant reduction in the acreage sown 
with winter cereals; and late-sown crops begin the win-

(1) https://www.ufop.de/presse/aktuelle-pressemitteilungen/
ufop-studie-winterrapsanbau-deutschland-bleibt-trotz-witte-
rungsbedingten-einschraenkungen-auf-hohem-niveau/

MARS Bulletin Vol. 25 No 11 — 27 November 2017 5

ter season in weak conditions. In Sweden and Denmark, 
sowing also occurred in difficult conditions, with a con-
sequent reduction in the area sown.
After  the  late  rainfall  of  October  in  southern  Europe, 
sowing  started  in  Spain  and  Greece,  and  made  good 
progress.  However,  soil  conditions  were  still  too  dry 
for  good  crop  establishment  in  Spain.  The  rainfall  of 

mid November temporarily slowed sowing in Greece. In 
Portugal, the campaign started slowly in October, with 
dry soil conditions, but the window to complete sow-
ing is wide and sowing is usually in full progress from 
mid  November.  In  Italy,  the  sowing  of  winter  cereals 
started in early October and is now in full swing in the 
main areas.

Durum wheat 

Drier than usual in the main producing countries

In France, sowing is proceeding well and, in line with 
2016 sowing, 49 % of durum wheat areas had been 
sown by the end of the first week of November. Around 
6  %  has  already  emerged,  compared  with  8 %  last 
year (source: FranceAgriMer — CéréObs), probably as 
a consequence of the scant precipitation.
In Italy and Spain, sowing operations have just started. 
In  Spain,  the  durum  wheat-sowing  period  usually 
extends  from  mid  November  to  mid  December.  In 
Italy,  it  extends  from  mid  October  until  the  end  of 
November. In most of the areas in Spain, fieldwork for 

seedbed  preparation  has  finished  or  is  about  to  fin-
ish,  and  farmers  are  waiting  for  significant  rainfall 
before starting sowing. In Italy, rainfall during the first 
two weeks of November and rainfall forecast for the 
last week of November in the main producing regions 
of  Sicilia,  Puglia  and  Marche  are  expected  to  trigger 
sowing operations in much of the main durum wheat- 
producing areas.
In  Greece,  the  precipitation  recorded  during  the  first 
and second weeks of November should trigger sowing 
operations during the next few days.

MARS Bulletin Vol. 25 No 11 — 27 November 2017 6

3.  Sugar beet review

Positive yield outlook despite difficult start and end

For  the  European  Union  (EU)  as  a  whole,  2017  has 
been a good year for sugar beet, with a yield forecast 
above both last year’s level and the 5-year average. 
The two predominant factors contributing to the good 
overall  performance  this  year  are  (i)  a  fairly  strong 
general trend of increasing yields over the past dec-
ades,  mainly  attributed  to  improving  management 
and  agro-technological  innovation;  and  (ii)  favour-
able  conditions  that  prevailed  in  most  of  the  EU’s 
largest  beet-producing  countries:  France,  Germany, 
the  United  Kingdom,  the  Netherlands  and  Belgium. 
In Poland, the EU’s third-largest sugar beet producer, 
and most other (much smaller) beet-producing coun-
tries of central Europe, which performed remarkably 
well  in  2016,  this  year’s  outlook  is  more  moderate, 
albeit mostly still above the 5-year average. 
In  France,  the  largest  EU  sugar  beet  producer,  the 
beginning of the season was marked by a cold spell 
and a rain deficit, which hampered early development 
of crops already sown; however, on the positive side, it 
also decreased disease pressure. From June until the 
end  of  July,  temperatures  were  mainly  above  aver-
age,  thus  compensating  for  the  delays  observed  at 
the start of the season. Weather conditions in August, 
the most critical period for yield formation, were par-
ticularly positive, with rainfall and temperatures fluc-

tuating  around  the  seasonal  average  without  major 
extremes.  Substantial  rainfall  was  observed  during 
the  two  first  dekads  of  September,  just  before  the 
main  harvesting  period,  which  was  characterised  by 
a negative rainfall anomaly. This was also beneficial 
for  sugar  beet.  The  main  beet-producing  regions  in 
Germany,  the  United  Kingdom,  the  Netherlands  and 
Belgium presented a similar general weather pattern. 
In most of Germany and the Netherlands, the start of 
the season was less dry and, for both countries, the 
yield forecast is at or near record levels, with sugar 
content  reported  to  be  high.  Harvesting  there  has 
been more challenging, however, and is substantially 
delayed, especially in coastal regions, because of fre-
quent and abundant rain.
In  Poland,  the  third-largest  producer  after  France 
and Germany, very high precipitation throughout the 
season has led to an above-average outlook but rel-
atively  low  sugar  content.  Here  also,  harvesting  is 
substantially  delayed  and  some  fields  may  not  be 
harvested this year.
In Spain, where sugar beet is irrigated, the crop bene- 
fited  from  near-optimal  conditions  throughout  the 
season,  resulting  in  a  yield  increase  in  accordance 
with the technological trend.

MARS Bulletin Vol. 25 No 11 — 27 November 2017 7

4. Crop yield forecasts

TOTAL WHEAT (t/ha)

Country

Avg 5yrs

2016

MARS 2017 
forecasts

%17/5yrs %17/16

EU
AT
BE
BG
CY
CZ
DE
DK
EE
ES
FI
FR
GR
HR
HU
IE
IT
LT
LU
LV
MT
NL
PL
PT
RO
SE
SI
SK
UK

5.60
5.48
8.53
4.28
-
5.88
7.94
7.54
3.77
3.07
3.89
6.94
2.83
5.01
4.72
9.11
3.96
4.66
5.95
4.20
-
8.89
4.53
1.82
3.50
6.53
5.08
4.95
7.87

5.35
6.22
6.71
4.75
-
6.50
7.64
7.21
2.77
3.53
3.77
5.29
2.35
5.50
5.38
9.54
4.20
4.36
5.07
4.30
-
8.01
4.54
2.31
3.93
6.32
5.19
5.92
7.89

5.70
5.34
8.34
5.03
-
5.53
7.67
7.52
3.52
2.57
3.82
7.23
2.97
5.42
5.07
9.61
3.93
4.60
5.60
4.00
-
8.92
4.56
2.14
4.00
6.64
5.25
4.96
8.07

+ 1.8
- 2.5
- 2.3
+ 18
- 
- 6.0
- 3.4
- 0.3
- 6.7
- 16
- 1.9
+ 4.1
+ 5.0
+ 8.1
+ 7.4
+ 5.5
- 0.9
- 1.2
- 6.0
- 4.7
- 
+ 0.4
+ 0.7
+ 18
+ 15
+ 1.6
+ 3.3
+ 0.2
+ 2.6

+ 6.6
- 14
+ 24
+ 6.0
- 
- 15
+ 0.4
+ 4.3
+ 27
- 27
+ 1.3
+ 37
+ 26
- 1.4
- 5.6
+ 0.8
- 6.5
+ 5.5
+ 10
- 7.1
- 
+ 11
+ 0.4
- 7.6
+ 1.7
+ 5.0
+ 1.1
- 16
+ 2.3

TOTAL BARLEY (t/ha)

Country

Avg 5yrs

2016

MARS 2017 
forecasts

%17/5yrs %17/16

EU
AT
BE
BG
CY
CZ
DE
DK
EE
ES
FI
FR
GR
HR
HU
IE
IT
LT
LU
LV
MT
NL
PL
PT
RO
SE
SI
SK
UK

4.83
5.39
8.21
3.90
1.72
5.08
6.79
5.78
3.39
2.91
3.57
6.45
2.79
4.46
4.43
7.71
3.81
3.55
-
3.22
-
6.77
3.71
2.04
3.23
4.89
4.61
4.31
6.10

4.87
6.12
6.34
4.32
0.70
5.66
6.69
5.59
2.64
3.62
3.59
5.44
2.31
4.72
5.14
7.82
4.13
3.13
-
2.96
-
6.53
3.72
2.62
3.80
4.80
4.78
5.13
5.93

4.73
5.38
8.16
4.70
1.81
5.00
6.60
5.92
3.18
2.19
3.50
6.32
3.04
4.75
4.82
7.98
3.80
3.39
-
2.95
-
6.50
3.65
2.17
3.74
4.90
4.76
4.36
6.27

- 2.1
- 0.2
- 0.7
+ 21
+ 5.8
- 1.5
- 2.8
+ 2.4
- 6.4
- 25
- 2.0
- 2.1
+ 9.0
+ 6.3
+ 8.8
+ 3.5
- 0.2
- 4.4
- 
- 8.5
- 
- 4.0
- 1.6
+ 6.3
+ 16
+ 0.4
+ 3.3
+ 1.1
+ 2.8

- 2.9
- 12
+ 29
+ 8.7
+ 159
- 12
- 1.3
+ 5.9
+ 20
- 39
- 2.4
+ 16
+ 32
+ 0.6
- 6.3
+ 2.0
- 8.0
+ 8.2
- 
- 0.3
- 
- 0.5
- 1.7
- 17
- 1.5
+ 2.1
- 0.4
- 15
+ 5.7

MARS Bulletin Vol. 25 No 11 — 27 November 2017 8

SOFT WHEAT (t/ha)

Country

Avg 5yrs

2016

MARS 2017 
forecasts

%17/5yrs %17/16

EU
AT
BE
BG
CY
CZ
DE
DK
EE
ES
FI
FR
GR
HR
HU
IE
IT
LT
LU
LV
MT
NL
PL
PT
RO
SE
SI
SK
UK

5.84
5.52
8.53
4.29
-
5.88
7.96
7.54
3.77
3.25
3.89
7.07
3.10
5.01
4.72
9.11
5.51
4.66
5.95
4.20
-
8.89
4.53
1.82
3.50
6.53
5.08
4.95
7.87

5.56
6.29
6.71
4.75
-
6.50
7.66
7.21
2.77
3.84
3.77
5.37
2.33
5.50
5.39
9.54
5.65
4.36
5.07
4.30
-
8.01
4.54
2.31
3.93
6.32
5.19
5.94
7.89

5.94
5.44
8.34
5.04
-
5.53
7.70
7.52
3.52
2.66
3.82
7.34
3.23
5.42
5.08
9.61
5.38
4.60
5.60
4.00
-
8.92
4.56
2.14
4.00
6.64
5.25
4.99
8.07

+ 1.8
- 1.5
- 2.3
+ 17
-
- 6.0
- 3.3
- 0.3
- 6.7
- 18
- 1.9
+ 3.8
+ 4.0
+ 8.1
+ 7.6
+ 5.5
- 2.4
- 1.2
- 6.0
- 4.7
-
+ 0.4
+ 0.7
+ 18
+ 15
+ 1.6
+ 3.3
+ 0.9
+ 2.6

+ 6.9
- 14
+ 24
+ 6.0
-
- 15
+ 0.5
+ 4.3
+ 27
- 31
+ 1.3
+ 37
+ 39
- 1.4
- 5.7
+ 0.8
- 4.8
+ 5.5
+ 10
- 7.1
-
+ 11
+ 0.4
- 7.6
+ 1.7
+ 5.0
+ 1.1
- 16
+ 2.3

DURUM WHEAT (t/ha)

Country

Avg 5yrs

2016

MARS 2017 
forecasts

%17/5yrs %17/16

EU
AT
BE
BG
CY
CZ
DE
DK
EE
ES
FI
FR
GR
HR
HU
IE
IT
LT
LU
LV
MT
NL
PL
PT
RO
SE
SI
SK
UK

3.33
4.65
-
3.28
-
-
5.36
-
-
2.16
-
5.12
2.70
-
4.64
-
3.28
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
4.87
-

3.43
5.33
-
4.03
-
-
5.32
-
-
2.29
-
4.22
2.36
-
4.97
-
3.65
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
5.70
-

3.52
4.14
-
4.28
-
-
5.19
-
-
2.19
-
5.69
2.84
-
4.70
-
3.37
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
4.64
-

+ 5.5
- 11
-
+ 30
-
-
- 3.2
-
-
+ 1.4
-
+ 1
+ 5.4
-
+  1.1
-
+ 2.9
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
- 4.7
-

+ 2.6
- 22
-
+ 6.1
-
-
- 2.4
-
-
- 4.6
-
+ 35
+ 21
-
-5.6
-
- 7.5
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
- 19
-

MARS Bulletin Vol. 25 No 11 — 27 November 2017 9

SPRING BARLEY (t/ha)

Country

Avg 5yrs

2016

MARS 2017 
forecasts

%17/5yrs %17/16

EU
AT
BE
BG
CY
CZ
DE
DK
EE
ES
FI
FR
GR
HR
HU
IE
IT
LT
LU
LV
MT
NL
PL
PT
RO
SE
SI
SK
UK

4.22
4.49
-
-
-
5.05
5.55
5.64
3.39
3.00
3.57
6.16
-
-
3.55
7.17
-
3.55
-
3.22
-
6.77
3.59
-
2.44
4.83
-
4.21
5.66

4.33
5.31
-
-
-
5.45
5.24
5.48
2.64
3.74
3.59
4.98
-
-
4.18
7.29
-
3.13
-
2.96
-
6.53
3.58
-
2.80
4.74
-
5.03
5.61

3.94
3.90
-
-
-
4.75
5.39
5.81
3.18
2.23
3.50
5.97
-
-
4.03
7.33
-
3.39
-
2.95
-
6.50
3.47
-
2.83
4.83
-
4.04
5.89

- 6.6
- 13
-
-
-
- 5.9
- 2.9
+ 2.9
- 6.4
- 26
- 2.0
- 3.1
-
-
+ 14
+ 2.3
-
- 4.4
-
- 8.5
-
- 4.0
- 3.2
-
+ 16
- 0.1
-
- 4.0
+ 4.1

- 9.0
- 27
-
-
-
- 13
+ 2.8
+ 5.9
+ 20
- 40
- 2.4
+ 20
-
-
- 3.5
+ 0.5
-
+ 8.2
-
- 0.3
-
- 0.5
- 3.1
-
+ 1.2
+ 1.9
-
- 20
+ 5.0

WINTER BARLEY (t/ha)

Country

Avg 5yrs

2016

MARS 2017 
forecasts

%17/5yrs %17/16

EU
AT
BE
BG
CY
CZ
DE
DK
EE
ES
FI
FR
GR
HR
HU
IE
IT
LT
LU
LV
MT
NL
PL
PT
RO
SE
SI
SK
UK

5.68
6.08
8.21
3.90
1.72
5.17
7.20
6.46
-
2.37
-
6.56
2.79
4.46
4.74
9.16
3.81
-
-
-
-
-
4.23
2.04
3.52
6.09
4.61
4.73
6.88

5.55
6.59
6.34
4.32
0.70
6.13
7.07
6.17
-
2.66
-
5.57
2.31
4.72
5.31
8.64
4.13
-
-
-
-
-
4.46
2.62
4.13
5.77
4.78
5.37
6.43

5.76
6.29
8.16
4.70
1.81
5.61
6.94
6.41
-
1.89
-
6.42
3.04
4.75
5.01
9.03
3.80
-
-
-
-
-
4.29
2.17
4.04
6.01
4.76
5.20
7.04

+ 1.3
+ 3.5
- 0.7
+ 21
+ 5.8
+ 8.7
- 3.7
- 0.8
-
- 20
-
- 2.1
+ 9.0
+ 6.3
+ 5.6
- 1.3
- 0.2
-
-
-
-
-
+ 1.2
+ 6.3
+ 15
- 1.4
+ 3.3
+ 10
+ 2.4

+ 3.7
- 4.5
+ 29
+ 8.7
+ 159
- 8.4
- 1.9
+ 3.9
-
- 29
-
+ 15
+ 32
+ 0.6
- 5.7
+ 4.6
- 8.0
-
-
-
-
-
- 3.9
- 17
- 2.1
+ 4.1
- 0.4
- 3.1
+ 10

MARS Bulletin Vol. 25 No 11 — 27 November 2017 10

GRAIN MAIZE (t/ha)

Country

Avg 5yrs

2016

MARS 2017 
forecasts

%17/5yrs %17/16

EU
AT
BE
BG
CY
CZ
DE
DK
EE
ES
FI
FR
GR
HR
HU
IE
IT
LT
LU
LV
MT
NL
PL
PT
RO
SE
SI
SK
UK

6.89
9.92
10.6
5.66
-
7.74
9.77
-
-
11.1
-
8.83
10.8
6.46
6.15
-
9.45
6.32
-
-
-
10.2
6.35
8.28
3.65
-
8.00
6.44
-

7.14
11.2
9.23
5.45
-
9.79
9.65
-
-
11.1
-
8.19
10.1
8.41
8.61
-
10.4
6.91
-
-
-
7.84
7.29
8.03
3.49
-
9.54
8.53
-

6.92
10.2
11.0
5.98
-
7.20
10.1
-
-
10.9
-
9.22
10.4
5.79
6.40
-
8.82
6.60
-
-
-
11.8
6.35
8.07
4.00
-
6.96
5.81
-

+ 0.3
+ 2.8
+ 3.0
+ 5.6
-
- 6.9
+ 3.8
-
-
- 2.2
-
+ 4.5
- 3.5
- 10
+ 3.9
-
- 6.7
+ 4.4
-
-
-
+ 15
- 0.1
- 2.6
+ 10
-
- 13
- 10
-

- 3.2
- 8.6
+ 19
+ 10
-
- 26
+ 5.1
-
-
- 2.4
-
+ 13
+ 3.0
- 31
- 26
-
- 15
- 4.4
-
-
-
+ 51
- 13
+ 0.5
+ 15
-
- 27
- 32
-

GREEN MAIZE (t/ha)

Country

Avg 5yrs

2016

MARS 2017 
forecasts

%17/5yrs %17/16

EU*
AT
BE
BG
CY
CZ
DE
DK
EE
ES
FI
FR
GR
HR
HU
IE
IT
LT
LU
LV
MT
NL
PL
PT
RO
SE
SI
SK
UK

41.9
44.7
-
20.2
-
36.5
43.5
36.0
-
41.3
-
41.2
15.2
34.4
25.7
50.5
51.0
32.0
45.6
29.5
-
42.2
45.2
-
23.9
-
42.8
28.1
-

41.2
49.3
-
24.0
-
40.7
43.1
30.6
-
40.8
-
35.6
11.0
42.3
32.5
49.5
53.4
32.7
42.3
33.1
-
40.9
49.3
-
24.5
-
48.7
34.9
-

44.0
46.6
-
22.0
-
35.3
47.8
38.3
-
40.0
-
41.5
13.5
33.5
23.7
47.6
50.4
33.0
50.7
29.2
-
45.9
46.4
-
25.7
-
38.9
27.1
-

+ 5.2
+ 4.3
-
+ 8.5
-
- 3.5
+ 10
+ 6.4
-
- 3.2
-
+ 0.8
- 11
- 2.6
- 7.6
- 5.6
- 1.1
+ 3.1
+ 11
- 0.9
-
+ 8.7
+ 2.8
-
+ 7.2
-
- 8.9
- 3.8
-

+ 6.9
- 5.5
-
- 8.5
-
- 13
+ 11
+ 25
-
- 2.1
-
+ 17
+ 23
- 21
- 27
- 3.7
- 5.5
+ 0.7
+ 20
- 12
-
+ 12
- 5.8
-
+ 4.8
-
- 20
- 22
-

MARS Bulletin Vol. 25 No 11 — 27 November 2017 11

Country

Avg 5yrs

2016

RYE (t/ha)

MARS 2017 
forecasts

%17/5yrs %17/16

EU
AT
BE
BG
CY
CZ
DE
DK
EE
ES
FI
FR
GR
HR
HU
IE
IT
LT
LU
LV
MT
NL
PL
PT
RO
SE
SI
SK
UK

3.89
4.49
-
-
-
4.88
5.71
5.97
3.06
2.01
3.19
4.75
1.87
-
2.77
-
-
2.44
-
3.48
-
-
2.91
0.85
-
6.19
-
3.70
3.48

3.90
5.05
-
-
-
4.98
5.56
5.80
2.61
2.50
3.38
3.97
1.48
-
3.03
-
-
2.38
-
3.94
-
-
2.89
0.90
-
6.12
-
3.78
1.88

3.84
4.66
-
-
-
5.22
5.54
6.00
2.82
1.58
3.01
4.63
2.06
-
2.83
-
-
2.48
-
3.20
-
-
2.91
0.80
-
6.17
-
3.90
6.05

- 1.2
+ 3.7
-
-
-
+ 7.0
- 3.0
+ 0.3
- 7.9
- 22
- 5.7
- 2.7
+ 9.9
-
+ 1.9
-
-
+ 1.8
-
- 7.9
-
-
- 0.1
- 5.5
-
- 0.4
-
+ 5.6
+ 74

- 1.3
- 7.8
-
-
-
+ 4.8
- 0.4
+ 3.4
+ 7.8
- 37
- 11
+ 16
+ 39
-
- 6.6
-
-
+ 4.2
-
- 19
-
-
+ 0.6
- 11
-
+ 0.8
-
+ 3.4
+ 221

TRITICALE (t/ha)

Country

Avg 5yrs

2016

MARS 2017 
forecasts

%17/5yrs %17/16

EU
AT
BE
BG
CY
CZ
DE
DK
EE
ES
FI
FR
GR
HR
HU
IE
IT
LT
LU
LV
MT
NL
PL
PT
RO
SE
SI
SK
UK

4.20
5.44
-
2.95
-
4.70
6.49
-
-
2.25
-
5.17
1.75
4.01
3.86
-
-
3.43
-
-
-
-
3.64
1.53
3.24
5.61
-
-
4.08

3.98
5.88
-
3.06
-
4.88
6.05
-
-
2.41
-
4.28
1.75
4.10
4.14
-
-
3.28
-
-
-
-
3.64
1.95
2.90
5.23
-
-
3.91

4.19
4.99
-
3.50
-
4.69
6.30
-
-
2.31
-
5.19
2.04
4.38
3.93
-
-
3.42
-
-
-
-
3.71
1.75
3.56
5.42
-
-
4.06

- 0.3
- 8.3
-
+ 18
-
- 0.3
- 3.0
-
-
+ 2.9
-
+ 0.4
+ 17
+ 9.1
+ 1.6
-
-
- 0.4
-
-
-
-
+ 2.0
+ 14
+ 10
- 3.3
-
-
- 0.5

+ 5.1
- 15
-
+ 14
-
- 3.9
+ 4.0
-
-
- 4.3
-
+ 21
+ 16
+ 6.9
- 5.1
-
-
+ 4.2
-
-
-
-
+ 2.0
- 10
+ 23
+ 3.6
-
-
+ 3.9

MARS Bulletin Vol. 25 No 11 — 27 November 2017 12

RAPE AND TURNIP RAPE (t/ha)

Country

Avg 5yrs

2016

MARS 2017 
forecasts

%17/5yrs %17/16

EU
AT
BE
BG
CY
CZ
DE
DK
EE
ES
FI
FR
GR
HR
HU
IE
IT
LT
LU
LV
MT
NL
PL
PT
RO
SE
SI
SK
UK

3.25
3.26
4.15
2.58
-
3.41
3.90
3.88
2.02
2.36
1.49
3.35
-
2.88
2.95
3.64
2.37
2.39
-
2.61
-
-
2.88
-
2.54
3.10
-
2.88
3.40

3.07
3.58
3.44
2.95
-
3.46
3.45
3.10
1.46
2.58
1.54
3.06
-
3.11
3.44
3.46
2.57
2.60
-
2.83
-
-
2.68
-
2.84
2.89
-
3.46
3.07

3.25
3.22
4.31
2.87
-
3.17
3.59
4.03
1.95
2.34
1.51
3.65
-
3.08
3.09
4.02
2.57
2.52
-
2.72
-
-
2.95
-
2.69
3.05
-
3.35
3.41

- 0.1
- 1.4
+ 3.9
+ 11
-
- 6.9
- 8.1
+ 4.0
- 3.6
- 0.7
+ 1.5
+ 8.8
-
+ 6.9
+ 4.9
+ 11
+ 8.4
+ 5.3
-
+ 4.3
-
-
+ 2.3
-
+ 5.6
- 1.5
-
+ 16
+ 0.3

+ 5.9
- 10
+ 25
- 2.9
-
- 8.3
+ 3.8
+ 30
+ 33
- 9.1
- 2.0
+ 19
-
- 0.9
- 10
+ 16
+ 0.0
- 3.1
-
- 3.9
-
-
+ 10
-
- 5.4
+ 5.5
-
- 3.2
+ 11

SUGAR BEETS (t/ha)

Country

Avg 5yrs

2016

MARS 2017 
forecasts

%17/5yrs %17/16

EU
AT
BE
BG
CY
CZ
DE
DK
EE
ES
FI
FR
GR
HR
HU
IE
IT
LT
LU
LV
MT
NL
PL
PT
RO
SE
SI
SK
UK

72.2
71.8
77.2
-
-
64.2
72.1
60.9
-
91.8
38.1
87.7
-
55.9
57.7
-
56.8
54.1
-
-
-
80.6
55.9
-
37.6
63.9
-
56.8
71.0

74.5
81.3
72.5
-
-
67.8
76.2
51.3
-
91.7
37.3
85.5
-
75.5
70.1
-
63.4
61.6
-
-
-
77.8
65.8
-
40.6
65.0
-
70.2
66.0

76.8
63.3
84.8
-
-
67.0
80.9
60.9
-
93.0
37.9
89.9
-
55.6
61.5
-
57.0
54.3
-
-
-
87.7
60.0
-
43.7
63.9
-
62.3
73.3

+ 6.4
- 12
+ 9.8
-
-
+ 4.3
+ 12
- 0.1
-
+ 1.3
- 0.6
+ 2.6
-
- 0.6
+ 6.7
-
+ 0.4
+ 0.4
-
-
-
+ 8.7
+ 7.2
-
+ 16
+ 0.0
-
+ 9.7
+ 3.1

+ 3.0
- 22
+ 17
-
-
- 1.3
+ 6.1
+ 19
-
+ 1.4
+ 1.5
+ 5.2
-
- 26
- 12
-
- 10
- 12
-
-
-
+ 13
- 8.8
-
+ 7.6
- 1.7
-
- 11
+ 11

MARS Bulletin Vol. 25 No 11 — 27 November 2017 13

POTATO (t/ha)

Country

Avg 5yrs

2016

MARS 2017 
forecasts

%17/5yrs %17/16

EU
AT
BE
BG
CY
CZ
DE
DK
EE
ES
FI
FR
GR
HR
HU
IE
IT
LT
LU
LV
MT
NL
PL
PT
RO
SE
SI
SK
UK

32.6
31.4
45.9
13.6
-
26.5
44.1
41.8
-
31.0
26.6
42.7
25.0
16.6
24.3
-
26.6
16.8
-
18.6
-
43.4
23.8
18.7
14.3
34.2
-
-
42.1

33.8
36.2
38.2
15.2
-
29.9
44.4
42.4
-
31.1
27.1
38.9
27.5
19.7
26.2
-
28.3
15.9
-
18.8
-
42.9
28.5
18.8
14.4
35.6
-
-
45.0

34.2
31.3
46.9
14.5
-
27.0
45.9
41.5
-
31.4
27.3
45.7
26.1
17.7
25.3
-
25.4
17.8
-
17.5
-
45.8
22.0
19.0
15.5
35.0
-
-
45.1

+ 5.0
- 0.2
+ 2.1
+ 7.0
-
+ 1.9
+ 4.1
- 0.9
-
+ 1.6
+ 2.8
+ 7.1
+ 4.2
+ 6.9
+ 4.0
-
- 4.6
+ 5.8
-
- 5.9
-
+ 5.5
- 7.3
+ 1.7
+ 7.9
+ 2.3
-
-
+ 7.2

+ 1.2
- 13
+ 23
- 4.5
-
- 10
+ 3.2
- 2.2
-
+ 1.0
+ 0.7
+ 18
- 5.0
- 10
- 3.3
-
-1 0
+ 12
-
- 6.7
-
+ 6.9
- 23
+ 0.9
+ 7.2
- 1.6
-
-
+ 0.2

SUNFLOWER (t/ha)

Country

Avg 5yrs

2016

MARS 2017 
forecasts

%17/5yrs %17/16

EU
AT
BE
BG
CY
CZ
DE
DK
EE
ES
FI
FR
GR
HR
HU
IE
IT
LT
LU
LV
MT
NL
PL
PT
RO
SE
SI
SK
UK

1.94
2.53
-
2.15
-
2.32
2.18
-
-
1.05
-
2.15
1.95
2.55
2.55
-
2.26
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.93
1.83
-
-
2.47
-

2.04
3.29
-
2.20
-
2.85
2.14
-
-
0.99
-
1.99
2.11
2.81
2.95
-
2.42
-
-
-
-
-
-
1.30
1.92
-
-
2.94
-

2.08
2.67
-
2.33
-
2.33
2.19
-
-
1.05
-
2.34
2.17
2.56
2.81
-
2.15
-
-
-
-
-
-
1.09
1.96
-
-
2.35
-

+ 7.1
+ 5.9
-
+ 8.2
-
+ 0.3
+ 0.4
-
-
- 0.4
-
+ 8.5
+ 12
+ 0.3
+ 10
-
- 4.8
-
-
-
-
-
-
+ 18
+ 6.9
-
-
- 5.0
-

+ 1.8
- 19
-
+ 5.6
-
- 18
+ 2.6
-
-
+ 5.3
-
+ 18
+ 3.0
- 8.9
- 4.9
-
- 1
-
-
-
-
-
-
- 16
+ 1.8
-
-
- 20
-

MARS Bulletin Vol. 25 No 11 — 27 November 2017 14

Country

Avg 5yrs

2016

WHEAT (t/ha)

MARS 2017 
forecasts

%17/5yrs %17/16

BY
TR
UA

3.66
2.69
3.69

3.71
2.71
4.21

3.69
2.85
4.01

+ 1.0
+ 5.8
+ 8.6

- 0.4
+ 5.1
- 4.8

BARLEY (t/ha)

Country

Avg 5yrs

2016

MARS 2017 
forecasts

%17/5yrs %17/16

BY
TR
UA

3.44
2.63
2.73

3.50
2.48
3.30

3.61
2.69
3.33

+ 5.0
+ 2.3
+ 22

+ 3.1
+ 8.3
+ 0.8

GRAIN MAIZE (t/ha)

Country

Avg 5yrs

2016

MARS 2017 
forecasts

%17/5yrs %17/16

BY
TR
UA

5.26
8.83
5.84

5.33
9.42
6.60

5.04
9.81
5.53

- 4.0
+ 11
- 5.4

-  5.4
+ 4.2
- 16

Note:   
Sources:  2017 yields come from the MARS Crop Yield Forecasting System (output up to 10.11.2017).  

Yields are forecast for crops with more than 10 000 ha per country.

For EU countries, the reported humidity levels are generally between 65 % and 70 %.
* The EU figures do not include green maize forecasts for Belgium, Portugal, Sweden and  
the United Kingdom, since recent data on yields were not available.
EU 2012-2017 data come from DG Agriculture and Rural Development’s short-term Outlook data  
(dated October 2017, received on 14.11.2017), Eurostat’s Eurobase (last update on 6.11.2017) and  
EES (last update on 19.10.2017).
Non-EU 2012-2016 data come from the United States Department of Agriculture, 
the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat), Eurostat’s Eurobase (last update on 6.11.2017), 
the State Statistics Service of Ukraine, the Food and Agriculture Organisation and Production, Supply and Distribution Online.
Potato and sugar beet: the 2016 yield for Croatia and Italy come from the National Institute of Statistics.
A 2017 yield value as reported by the Member States is published and made available by Eurostat for the rows in italics.

MARS Bulletin Vol. 25 No 11 — 27 November 2017  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
5. Atlas 

Precipitation

15

MARS Bulletin Vol. 25 No 11 — 27 November 2017 16

MARS Bulletin Vol. 25 No 11 — 27 November 2017 17

Temperature regime

MARS Bulletin Vol. 25 No 11 — 27 November 2017 18

MARS Bulletin Vol. 25 No 11 — 27 November 2017 19

Climatic water balance

MARS Bulletin Vol. 25 No 11 — 27 November 2017 20

JRC MARS Bulletins 2017

Date 

Publication 

23 Jan 
20 Feb 
27 Mar 

24 Apr 

22 May 

26 Jun 

24 Jul 

21 Aug 

18 Sep 

23 Oct 

27 Nov 

18 Dec 

Agromet analysis 
Agromet analysis 
Agromet analysis and 
yield forecast
Agromet analysis,  
remote sensing, 
yield forecast and  
sowing conditions
Agromet analysis,  
remote sensing, 
yield forecast and  
pasture analysis
Agromet analysis, 
remote sensing,
yield forecast,
pasture update and
rice analysis
Agromet analysis,  
remote sensing,
yield forecast and
pasture update
Agromet analysis, 
remote sensing,
yield forecast and  
pasture update
Agromet analysis,  
remote sensing,  
rice analysis and  
yield forecast 
Agromet analysis,  
remote sensing,  
sowing conditions and
yield forecast 
Agromet analysis, 
sowing conditions, 
sugar beet review and 
yield forecast
Agromet analysis 

Reference

Vol. 25 No 1
Vol. 25 No 2
Vol. 25 No 3

Vol. 25 No 4

Vol. 25 No 5

Vol. 25 No 6

Vol. 25 No 7

Vol. 25 No 8

Vol. 25 No 9

Vol. 25 No 10

Vol. 25 No 11

Vol. 25 No 12

Mission statement: as the science and knowledge service of 
the European Commission, the Joint Research Centre’s mission 
is to support EU policies with independent evidence throughout 
the whole policy cycle.

K
J
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The current JRC MARS Bulletin  — Crop monitoring in Europe 
is a JRC–EC publication from MARS4CAST  
(JRC D5 Unit — Directorate Sustainable Resources)

MARS Bulletins are available under:
https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/en/mars/Bulletins

Analysis and reports
B. Baruth, S. Bassu, I. Biavetti, A. Bussay, A. Ceglar,
I. Cerrani, D. Fumagalli, S. Garcia Condado, R. Lecerf,
R. Lopez, A. Maiorano, L. Nisini, L. Panarello, L. Seguini,
A. Toreti, M. Van den Berg, M. Van der Velde,
C. Weissteiner, A. Zucchini

Reporting support
G. Mulhern

Editing
B. Baruth, M. Van den Berg, S. Niemeyer

Data production
MARS4CAST — JRC D5 Unit, Alterra (NL), MeteoGroup (NL), 
VITO (BE) and CMCC (IT)

Contact
JRC D5/MARS4CAST  
JRCMARSBULLETIN@ec.europa.eu

*MARS stands for Monitoring Agricultural Resources

Legal notice:
Neither the European Commission nor any person acting on behalf of 
the Commission is responsible for the use which might be made of 
this publication.

Disclaimer:
The geographic borders are purely a graphical representation and 
are only intended to be indicative. The boundaries do not necessarily 
reflect the official Commission position.

Technical note:
The LTA used within this bulletin as a reference is based on an archive 
of data covering 1975-2016. 

ISSN  Print  2443-826X

ISSN  PDF  2443-8278

MARS Bulletin Vol. 25 No 11 — 27 November 2017