Soil temperatures in March did not hit minimum requirements for growth in any part of the country; this has delayed crop growth.
Where fertiliser has been applied, it will not be used efficiently and weather conditions are too harsh for spraying with many herbicides and growth regulators.
Disease risk on crops will increase as temperatures increase, as wet conditions prevail across the country.
Soil temperatures remained below 6°C across the country for the month of March. The lowest average soil temperature recorded for March was 2.8°C at Dublin Airport.
Soil temperatures which were above 5°C were recorded at Valentia Observatory (5.8°C), Mount Dillon (5.2°C) and Sherkin Island (5.1°C).
Of the 23 Met Éireann stations measuring soil temperature, 19 of these stations had an average March soil temperature below 4.5°C and eight of these had an average soil temperature below 4°C.
2017
The average March soil temperatures recorded were just above 6°C and reached almost 9°C in some parts in 2017. The majority of these temperatures were around the 7°C mark.
This week
This week air temperatures look like they may reach a high of 12°C during the day. A consistent increase will be needed for soil temperatures to rise and for more rapid growth to kick in.
Data source: Met Éireann