What to sow, grow, harvest and scout for this month, north and south of the equator. December is winter in the north and summer in the south.
Typical sowing and harvest windows for broad climate zones, for planning and study. Inside every zone the real dates move with latitude, altitude, rainfall onset, irrigation and variety, sometimes by a month or more. Your national crop calendar, extension service or seed supplier decides; this page tells you what to be thinking about.
Temperate north
Europe, North America, northern China, Korea and Japan, Central Asia · winter
Sow and plant now
Nothing in the main calendar.
Growing: manage and protect
Harvest now
Nothing in the main calendar.
Scout for
- Bird cherry-oat aphid on Wheat, Barley · favoured by: Early sowing of autumn cereals into warm soils, mild autumns and winters, a 'green bridge' of volunteer…
- Desert locust on Wheat, Barley · favoured by: Unusually heavy or widespread rain in desert breeding areas (for example after cyclones over the Arabian…
- Fusarium head blight (head scab) of wheat and barley on Wheat, Barley · favoured by: Rain or prolonged humidity at flowering, wheat or barley following maize or another cereal, residues left on…
- Powdery mildew of wheat and barley on Wheat, Barley · favoured by: Dense crops, high nitrogen, mild humid weather, early sowing, volunteer cereals, and susceptible varieties.…
- Russian wheat aphid on Wheat, Barley · favoured by: Dry conditions and drought-stressed crops, mild winters, volunteer cereals and grasses near fields, and…
- Stem rust of wheat (black rust) on Wheat, Barley · favoured by: Warm days, dewy nights and rain during stem elongation to grain filling; late sowing; susceptible varieties…
- Sunn pest on Wheat, Barley · favoured by: Mild winters with high survival in overwintering sites, warm springs, cereal fields close to mountain…
- Yellow rust of wheat (stripe rust) on Wheat, Barley · favoured by: Mild winters that allow survival on green leaves, cool and wet springs, dew, early sowing in autumn…
Mediterranean and dry north
The Mediterranean basin, North Africa, the Middle East and West Asia, California · winter
Sow and plant now
Growing: manage and protect
Nothing in the main calendar.
Harvest now
Get ready for January
Scout for
- Broomrapes of vegetables and legumes (branched, Egyptian and crenate broomrape) on Faba bean, Lentil, Potato · favoured by: Repeated cropping of susceptible hosts, early sowing of winter legumes (which gives crenate broomrape a longer…
- Desert locust on Wheat, Barley, Date palm · favoured by: Unusually heavy or widespread rain in desert breeding areas (for example after cyclones over the Arabian…
- Bird cherry-oat aphid on Wheat, Barley · favoured by: Early sowing of autumn cereals into warm soils, mild autumns and winters, a 'green bridge' of volunteer…
- Cowpea aphid (black legume aphid) on Lentil, Faba bean · favoured by: Warm, dry spells, drought-stressed crops, late planting, ant attendance, wild legume hosts and loss of natural…
- Fusarium head blight (head scab) of wheat and barley on Wheat, Barley · favoured by: Rain or prolonged humidity at flowering, wheat or barley following maize or another cereal, residues left on…
- Powdery mildew of wheat and barley on Wheat, Barley · favoured by: Dense crops, high nitrogen, mild humid weather, early sowing, volunteer cereals, and susceptible varieties.…
- Russian wheat aphid on Wheat, Barley · favoured by: Dry conditions and drought-stressed crops, mild winters, volunteer cereals and grasses near fields, and…
- Stem rust of wheat (black rust) on Wheat, Barley · favoured by: Warm days, dewy nights and rain during stem elongation to grain filling; late sowing; susceptible varieties…
Tropical and monsoon north
South Asia, mainland Southeast Asia and southern China, West Africa and the Sahel, Central America and the Caribbean · dry season
Sow and plant now
Growing: manage and protect
Harvest now
Get ready for January
- Sugarcane · also planted October to November; cut through the dry season
Scout for
- Cotton bollworm (Old World bollworm) on Cotton, Chickpea, Pigeon pea, Tomato, Sorghum · favoured by: Warm, dry weather; a landscape with a succession of flowering hosts (for example maize, sorghum and chickpea…
- Beet armyworm on Cotton, Tomato, Onion & shallot, Chickpea · favoured by: Hot, dry weather; weedy fields and field edges; large areas of host crops; and broad-spectrum sprays that…
- Black cutworm on Cotton, Potato, Tomato, Onion & shallot · favoured by: Weedy fields before planting, reduced or no tillage with crop residues, low-lying fields that flooded earlier…
- Fall armyworm on Sorghum, Rice, Cotton, Wheat · favoured by: Warm weather with dry spells between rains favours outbreaks; heavy rain drowns young larvae in the whorl.…
- Parthenium weed (congress grass) on Sorghum, Wheat, Cotton, Chickpea · favoured by: Disturbed or overgrazed land, bare soil after drought, roadsides and field margins, poor weed control in…
- African armyworm on Sorghum, Rice, Wheat · favoured by: The first heavy rains after a dry period, when fresh grass growth and moth concentration by storm winds…
- Broad mite on Cotton, Potato, Tomato · favoured by: Warm, humid weather; shaded, dense canopies; continuous production of soft new growth; infested transplants or…
- Charcoal rot (dry root rot) on Sorghum, Cotton, Chickpea · favoured by: Hot, dry weather and drought stress during flowering and grain or pod filling, sandy soils with low…
Temperate south
Argentina, Uruguay and southern Brazil, south-eastern Australia, New Zealand, the South African highveld · summer
Sow and plant now
Growing: manage and protect
Harvest now
Scout for
- Black cutworm on Maize, Potato, Tomato, Sunflower, Soybean · favoured by: Weedy fields before planting, reduced or no tillage with crop residues, low-lying fields that flooded earlier…
- Sclerotinia white mould (stem rot) on Soybean, Rapeseed, Sunflower, Potato, Tomato · favoured by: Frequent susceptible crops in the rotation, dense canopies and narrow rows that keep the soil surface moist…
- Cotton bollworm (Old World bollworm) on Tomato, Maize, Soybean, Sunflower · favoured by: Warm, dry weather; a landscape with a succession of flowering hosts (for example maize, sorghum and chickpea…
- Bird cherry-oat aphid on Wheat, Barley, Maize · favoured by: Early sowing of autumn cereals into warm soils, mild autumns and winters, a 'green bridge' of volunteer…
- Broomrapes of vegetables and legumes (branched, Egyptian and crenate broomrape) on Tomato, Potato, Rapeseed · favoured by: Repeated cropping of susceptible hosts, early sowing of winter legumes (which gives crenate broomrape a longer…
- Charcoal rot (dry root rot) on Soybean, Maize, Sunflower · favoured by: Hot, dry weather and drought stress during flowering and grain or pod filling, sandy soils with low…
- Corn earworm (cotton bollworm, tomato fruitworm) on Maize, Tomato, Soybean · favoured by: Warm weather, large areas of maize that build up populations before moths move to cotton, tomato and soybean…
- Fusarium head blight (head scab) of wheat and barley on Wheat, Barley, Maize · favoured by: Rain or prolonged humidity at flowering, wheat or barley following maize or another cereal, residues left on…
Mediterranean south
South-western and southern Australia, the Western Cape, central Chile · summer
Sow and plant now
Nothing in the main calendar.
Growing: manage and protect
Harvest now
Scout for
- Beet armyworm on Tomato, Chickpea · favoured by: Hot, dry weather; weedy fields and field edges; large areas of host crops; and broad-spectrum sprays that…
- Bird cherry-oat aphid on Wheat, Barley · favoured by: Early sowing of autumn cereals into warm soils, mild autumns and winters, a 'green bridge' of volunteer…
- Cotton bollworm (Old World bollworm) on Chickpea, Tomato · favoured by: Warm, dry weather; a landscape with a succession of flowering hosts (for example maize, sorghum and chickpea…
- Dodder (field dodder and relatives) on Tomato, Chickpea · favoured by: Sowing crop seed contaminated with dodder seed, broadleaf crops grown repeatedly on infested land, broadleaf…
- Fusarium head blight (head scab) of wheat and barley on Wheat, Barley · favoured by: Rain or prolonged humidity at flowering, wheat or barley following maize or another cereal, residues left on…
- Parthenium weed (congress grass) on Wheat, Chickpea · favoured by: Disturbed or overgrazed land, bare soil after drought, roadsides and field margins, poor weed control in…
- Powdery mildew of wheat and barley on Wheat, Barley · favoured by: Dense crops, high nitrogen, mild humid weather, early sowing, volunteer cereals, and susceptible varieties.…
- Russian wheat aphid on Wheat, Barley · favoured by: Dry conditions and drought-stressed crops, mild winters, volunteer cereals and grasses near fields, and…
Tropical south
Central and western Brazil, southern and south-eastern Africa, Madagascar, northern Australia, Java and the Lesser Sunda islands · wet season
Sow and plant now
Growing: manage and protect
Harvest now
Get ready for January
Scout for
- Charcoal rot (dry root rot) on Soybean, Sorghum, Maize, Groundnut, Cotton, Common bean · favoured by: Hot, dry weather and drought stress during flowering and grain or pod filling, sandy soils with low…
- Palmer amaranth on Soybean, Cotton, Maize, Groundnut, Sorghum · favoured by: Reduced tillage that leaves seeds near the surface, wide crop rows that close late, reliance on a single…
- Barnyard grass on Rice, Maize, Soybean, Cotton · favoured by: Direct-seeded rice (especially dry-seeded) with no standing water early on, poor land levelling, shallow or no…
- Black cutworm on Maize, Cotton, Tobacco, Soybean · favoured by: Weedy fields before planting, reduced or no tillage with crop residues, low-lying fields that flooded earlier…
- Corn earworm (cotton bollworm, tomato fruitworm) on Maize, Cotton, Soybean, Sorghum · favoured by: Warm weather, large areas of maize that build up populations before moths move to cotton, tomato and soybean…
- Cotton bollworm (Old World bollworm) on Cotton, Maize, Sorghum, Soybean · favoured by: Warm, dry weather; a landscape with a succession of flowering hosts (for example maize, sorghum and chickpea…
- Egyptian cotton leafworm on Cotton, Maize, Soybean, Groundnut · favoured by: Warm temperatures, continuous host crops such as Egyptian clover before cotton, irrigation, and heavy…
- Fall armyworm on Maize, Sorghum, Rice, Cotton · favoured by: Warm weather with dry spells between rains favours outbreaks; heavy rain drowns young larvae in the whorl.…