CONGERVILLE-THIONVILLE: Hot weather this month is expected to reduce the yield potential of French cereal crops but this summer’s harvest should still bring good yields, crop institute Arvalis said on Wednesday.

High temperatures could negatively impact the grain-filling process of cereals including wheat, though a dry spell since late May was not seen stressing crops except in shallow soils, Francois Laurent, Arvalis’ head of research and development, told Reuters.

“We’re losing a little of the good potential we had but there’s no reason for alarm,” Laurent said at an agricultural show south of Paris.

“The high temperatures may cause some loss of grain weight.” Dry, warm conditions across northern Europe, including major grain belts in the north of France, have caused concern in international markets as summer harvesting approaches.

Cereals in France, the European Union’s biggest producer, were showing good to excellent yield potential at the start of June, having benefited from rain earlier in spring and with farmers managing to control increased disease pressure this year, Laurent said.

Soft wheat, France’s main cereal crop, was on course for “good average” yields in the harvest after some impact from the current hot weather, he said. The winter barley harvest, which was just getting under way, was showing good yields and quality in very early results, he added.

However, this year’s harvest of durum wheat, used in pasta, was expected to be affected by drought in the southeast, one of the main production zones, Laurent added.

He declined to give yield forecasts ahead of a harvest outlook that Arvalis is due to release in early July with grain sector organisations.

For maize, mostly harvested in autumn, there was early concern about crop prospects after a delayed planting campaign and with the threat of irrigation restrictions like last year due to low water reserves, Laurent said.