Argentina Crop Weather Fine Through End Of Next Week
By Andrew Owen and Drew Lerner
Kansas City, February 17 (World Weather Inc.) – Argentina received widespread rain during the most recent week and soil conditions are still rated favorably for good summer grain, oilseed cotton and citrus development. Follow up rain in the next couple of weeks intermixed with 
warmer than usual temperatures and brief periods of drying will maintain a nearly ideal environment for high yielding crops. Sunseed maturation and harvesting will not benefit from the wetter biased conditions and some delay in fieldwork will result while concern over unharvested oilseed quality evolves in a few areas.
A large portion of Argentina’s main production region reported significant rain during the past week. Moisture totals for the seven-day period ending Wednesday morning ranged from 1.00 to 4.00 inches with a few exceptions. Local amounts up to 5.15 inches were reported in portions of central Buenos Aires and Entre Rios. In contrast, Santiago del Estero and much of San Luis only reported up to 0.63 inch which led to net drying. Temperatures were often warmer than normal with highest readings in the upper 80s and 90s Fahrenheit. Several pockets in the north warmed above 100 degrees.
Topsoil moisture from La Pampa and much of Buenos Aires through Entre Rios and Santa Fe is excessive and some local flooding has likely occurred. In contrast, Santiago del Estero has become short to very short of moisture in the topsoil, but subsoil moisture is still favorable for ongoing crop development.
Soil conditions are favorable for long term crop development (with the possible exception of Santiago del Estero). The only concern is that the ground may be too wet for sunseed harvesting in southern Argentina and additional rain in the next two weeks may raise some crop quality issues. Sunseed harvesting was 21% complete as of last week and progress since then has been a little slow due to wet fields and rainfall. The moisture abundance in most other summer crop areas should not be harming crop development or production especially not with temperatures staying warmer than usual 
so that quick drying occurs between rain events.
Several waves of precipitation will advance across Argentina during the next week to ten days. The frequent precipitation will keep soil moisture rated adequate or excessive in much of the production region. Santiago del Estero will also receive enough rain to bolster topsoil moisture to more adequate levels. Areas from northern Buenos Aires through Santa Fe, western Santiago del Estero, and southern Chaco will see some of the most significant rainfall during the coming week. Moisture totals for the seven day period ending next Wednesday will range from 2.00 to 6.00 inches with locally greater amounts. Other production areas outside of Formosa and northern Corrientes will receive 0.75 to 3.00 inches of rain with locally greater amounts. Formosa and northern Corrientes will only receive light rain.
Despite the frequent rainfall, temperatures will continue to trend above average in Argentina. Daytime highs will often peak in the middle 80s to the middle 90s Fahrenheit with warmer pockets in the north and west. The warm weather will promote aggressive drying between rain events.
Sunseed maturation and harvesting will continue to be sluggish in many areas during the coming week. Some crop quality issues will evolve in the wettest unharvested areas. A reduction in rain would be welcome at the end of February and beginning of March to firm up the topsoil.
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