Irregular weather complicates work in Paraná’s crops

Autumn, which began on March 22, should be marked by irregular rains throughout Paraná. According to agrometeorologist Luiz Renato Lazinski, the La Niña climate phenomenon, characterized by the cooling of the waters of the Pacific Ocean, will have an influence on precipitation in practically all Brazilian regions, including the territory of Paraná. “La Niña reached its maximum in January and February. It is decreasing in intensity, but, even though it is weak, it will continue to influence our climate until the middle of this year,” he said.

According to the Paraná Environmental Technology and Monitoring System (Simepar), during this season, people from Paraná must live with colder mornings and nights, while the afternoons remain hot. From May onwards, waves of cold and dry air should be frequent and intense, causing a significant decline in air temperature. This way there will be very cold days, interspersed with very hot ones.

In the field

The irregular climate has been complicating the work on crops in Paraná in recent times. At the beginning of the summer harvest, there was a lack of rain during planting. Then, at the beginning of this year, it rained more than necessary. According to Lazinski, with the influence of La Niña, this instability is expected to continue throughout the season until the beginning of winter.

“We may have one or two dry spells in the corn harvest”, observes the specialist, referring to isolated periods of heat. According to the Department of Rural Economy (Deral) of the State Department of Agriculture and Supply (Seab), by the third week of March, 72% of the estimated area of ​​2,4 million hectares had already been sown, but the progress of the cereal also depends of climatic conditions.

This climatic situation could be more conducive to wheat cultivation, which easily tolerates dry spells and also sudden drops in temperature. Off-season corn, which has already suffered delays in planting due to the prolonged drought, may be more vulnerable to variations in temperature and climate.

Temperatures should not be too high according to the agrometeorologist. “Mild for this time of year. The cold arrives earlier in years with La Niña. In fact, it arrived in February, we had lows of six degrees”, details Lazinski.

According to the expert, the risk of frost cannot be ruled out, especially after the end of May. “Including in areas with off-season corn. If there is frost, it would be more for the West region, not the North”, he analyzes.