Western Ukraine may lose 15–20% of winter wheat harvest, expert says

Winter wheat yields in western Ukraine are expected to be significantly lower than last year. Depending on sowing dates, yield losses could reach 15–20%, Mykola Yuskiv, Wholesale Trade Director at the Ternopil regional office of LNZ Group, told SuperAgronom.com during the Nove Zernyatko 2026 forum.

According to Yuskiv, one of the main reasons for the lower yields was the late sowing of winter crops, caused by delayed harvesting of corn and sunflower, as well as a lack of soil moisture in autumn.

"Late sowing resulted from the delayed harvest of corn and sunflower. There was no moisture, so most of the wheat entered winter poorly developed or failed to emerge at all. Although there was plenty of snow, severe frosts froze the soil, creating a barrier that prevented moisture from infiltrating. In effect, most of the snowmelt ran off into ravines," he explained.

Yuskiv added that a rapid rise in temperatures prevented moisture from penetrating into deeper soil layers after the snow melted. As a result, dry conditions limited tillering and hindered normal crop development.

Another adverse factor was the combination of spring drought and sharp fluctuations between daytime and nighttime temperatures. According to the expert, these conditions stressed the plants and reduced the efficiency of fertiliser uptake.

"Farmers tried to address the problem by applying micronutrients and anti-stress products as foliar treatments because applying anything to the soil was pointless. The topsoil was completely dry," Yuskiv added.