CHINA CROP WEATHER SUMMARY -- USDA/NOAA
Moderate to heavy rain continued
over early double-crop rice areas in eastern Guangxi,
Guanghdong, eastern Hunan, Jiangxi, Fujian, and Zhejiang in the
week ended March 28, the Joint Agricultural Weather Facility of
the U.S. Agriculture and Commerce Departments said.
    In its International Weather and Crop summary, the agency
said The moisture lessened the need for irrigation. Moisture
for early rice planting is adequate to abundant in most areas,
and inundative rain in Guangdong and southern Jiangxi may have
washed out some rice fields requiring replanting.
     Light showers in southern Sichuan increased topsoil
moisture for corn planting, which likely is off to a slow start
due to earlier dryness, it said.
    In the North China Plain, dry weather covered winter wheat
in the vegetative stage, and rain is needed to meet increasing
crop moisture requirements, it said.
    Weekly temperatures in the North China Plain were near
normal, the agency noted.
 Reuter
