An assessment of the trend in crop water sufficiency was made for the period 1961 – 2020. Agro-climatic indices and simulations of water balance and crop water stress with the DAISY model were used for the assessment. The coverage of crop water requirements is insufficient in the southern regions, with soil water scarcity being the main limiting factor for agricultural production, especially in the Danube Lowland. A decrease in crop water availability in the period 1991 – 2020 compared to the period 1961 – 1990 has been observed, mainly due to rising temperatures and thus increasing environmental evapotranspiration requirements. The highest increase in moisture demand of crops in the period 1991 – 2020 compared to the period 1961 – 1990 was recorded in the west and north of the Danube Lowland, in the case of summer crops an above-average increase in moisture demand was also recorded in Central Pohronie and East Slovakia. In the area of Bratislava and Nitra, the need for spring barley and winter wheat increased by more than 50 mm. The moisture demand for maize also increased the most in these two regions, by more than 100 mm. Within individual regions, there is spatial variability depending on soil properties and the presence of groundwater levels. The smallest average supply of available soil water in the Danube Lowland was simulated for Luvisols and Haplic Chernozems. Despite the fact that no area in Slovakia meets the conditions for designation as dry, the coverage of crop moisture needs is insufficient in the southern regions, while the lack of soil water is the main limiting factor of agricultural production, especially in the Danube Lowland.
Takáč et al. (Thu,) studied this question.