Crop report January - April 2009 (Saaz area)

1. Basic weather conditions datas

temperature °C

rainfalls mm

Complex of rainfalls during the first two months of this year were below the long-term normal, in the months of March and April has been varied at the long-term average. The temperatures was in the whole optimal in the month of January to March, by contrast in the April was the temperatures expressly bigger.

2. Spring works and vegetation stage

Spring works in the preparation of hop gardens, it means how to cut the hops and hanging of the wires were performed in time. Due to the April temperatures, which were more than a month long-term average, was necessary training of hops at the beginning of the third decade of April, otherwise the rapid growth of vegetation. At the first started growers intensivly trained varieties Sládek, Premiant, Agnus and at the end of the month April the main Czech variety Saaz. Of the total sort of vegetation estimated about 14days ahead in the development of vegetation.

In the case of downy mildew we prefer to treat trained hybrid varieties and virus-free hops, where appeared a spiky groyne with a special protection Aliette 80 WP. This year hasn´t been recorded flight over an aphides of host plants on the hops. Due to prevailing high temperatures, the aphides can be expected at the end of the first decade of May.

3. Overview of acreage in the Czech Republic by 30.4.2009