The current precipitation deficit has gradually manifested itself in deepening soil drought in several places in Slovakia. Since the end of March, the situation with soil drought has worsened significantly. The soil drought in Slovakia is expected to deepen in the next ten days. Meteorologists have been recording a similar trend of drought in the spring months for several years in a row. The Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute (SHMÚ) reported on this on its website.
“The negatively developing drought trend in the period after the sowing of spring types of agricultural crops can negatively affect the emergence and growth of agricultural stands sown especially in the spring months,” meteorologists said.
According to them, the situation is similar in forestry, where spring planting takes place in this period. Subsequently, in the course of the growing season, such a drought can cause a significant lack of establishment of newly planted seedlings.
“Currently, there is significant to extreme drought in the soil profile of zero to one hundred centimeters in western and central Slovakia and in the northeastern region. It occurs on 26 percent of Slovakia’s territory,” zoomed in by the Meteorological Institute. He claims that extreme drought in this soil profile affects 6% of the territory.
Drought of varying intensity affects approximately two-thirds of the territory. Significant to extreme drought occurs over a large area of Slovakia, especially in the shallower layers of the soil profile, up to a depth of 40 centimetersexperts said.
The relative saturation of the soil at the level of 20 to 30% is the lowest in the soil profile of zero to 40 cm locally in the Danube Plain, Záhorí and Zemplín. Relative soil saturation below 50% currently occurs in the soil profile of zero to one hundred centimeters on almost 30% of the territory. “This value represents reduced moisture availability for vegetation. A relative soil saturation level below 30% represents significant drought stress,” explained SHMÚ.
According to the institute, the soil moisture deficit is minus 60 to minus 80 mm locally in Považí and around Pezinok. In most of the territory, the deficit is from minus five to minus 40 mm. Excess moisture is up to plus 20 mm in Spiš and Novohrad.
