AGROCLIMATIC EVALUATION OF THE SOVIET CORN PROGRAM

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• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79-01009A002100070008-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 70
• Document Creation Date: November 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 15, 1999
• Sequence Number: 8
• Publication Date: November 1, 1958
• Content Type: IR

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N. 3
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40,
GEOGRAPHIC INTELLIGENCE REPORT
AGROCLIMATIC EVALUATION OF
THE SOVIET CORN PROGRAM
CIA/RR-GR-197
November 1958
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
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In the legends of Figure 1, p. 6,
and Figure 5, p. 25, "SSSR" should
read "SSR."
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OFFICIAL USE ONLY
GEOGRAPHIC INTELLIGENCE REPORT
AGROCLIMATIC EVALUATION OF
THE SOVIET CORN PROGRAM
CIA/RR-GR-197
November 1958
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
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CONTENTS
Page
I. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . ? . . . . . . . . . I
II. The Current Soviet Corn Program . . . . . . . ? ? ? 2
III. Climatic Requirements for Corn . . . . ? ? ? ? ? ? 4
A. Thermal Requirements . . . . . ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? 4
B. Moisture Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
C. Other Climatic Requirements . . . . . . . . . . 10
IV. Climatic Limitations Within the Soviet Union . . . . 10
A. General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
B. Temperature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
C. Precipitation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
D. Other Climatic Factors . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
V. Phenological Aspects of Corn Distribution in the 17
Soviet Union . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
VI. Agroclimatic Adequacy Zones of the Soviet Union . . 20
VII. Climatic Basis for Estimating Corn Yields in the
Soviet Union . . . . ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? . . . .
VIII. Regional Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21.
A. Southwestern Region . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
B. Caucasus Region . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
C. Baltic-Belorussian Region . . . . . . . . . 27
D. North European Region . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
E. Central Chernozem Region . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
F. Volga-Ural Region . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
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Page
G. Kazakh-West Siberian Region . . . . . . . . . . . 30
H. South Siberian-Far East Region . . . . . . . . . 31
I. Central Asian Region . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
IX. Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Appendixes
A. Groups of Specific Varieties of Corn Grown in the USSR
According to Rate of Maturing . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
B. Climatic Data for Growing Season . . . . . . . . . . . 36
C. Gaps in Intelligence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
D. Source References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1+6
Photographs
Figure 1. Corn planting in the Moldavian SSR . . . . . . . 6
Figure 2. Corn at the beginning of the tasseling stage . . 6
Figure 3. Corn in milk stage being harvested for ensilage. 7
Figure 1+. Corn in fully ripened stage of maturity . . . . 7
Figure 5. Cornfield in Ukrainian SSR between Zaporozh'ye
and Kar ' khov . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Figure 6. Corn being grown in a mountain valley of the
Pamirs in Central Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
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Maps
Following page
1. Distribution of Corn -- 1956 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2. Sums of Temperatures During the Growing Season . . . . . . 16
3. Precipitation During Critical Period for Corn . . . . . . 16
14. Average Planting Date for Corn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
5. Phenological Development of Early-Maturing Varieties
of Corn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
6. Phenological Development of Average-Maturing Varieties
of Corn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
7. End of Growing Season for Corn . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
8. Agroclimatic Adequacy for Growth of Corn for Fodder or
Silage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
9. Agroclimatic Adequacy for Growth of Corn as Grain . . . . 20
10. Indices of Relative Precipitation Adequacy During Critical
Growth Period of Corn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
11. Major Soviet Corn Regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
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AGROCLIMATIC EVALUATION OF
THE SOVIET CORN PROGRAM*
I. Introduction
The Soviet Corn Program is a manifestation of the strains
and stresses that the rigid Soviet agricultural structure encounters
when it is superimposed upon an unreliable set of natural conditions.
The first significant changes in the lopsided and cumbersome agri-
cultural structure came during the struggle for political power
following the death of Stalin, when agrarian issues reached major
proportions. Khrushchev, upon winning wide approval through the
initial successes of his New Lands Program, ventured into other
ambitious programs designed to increase agricultural production and
bolster up the lagging Soviet agricultural economy. How successful
such programs will be depends largely upon the vagaries of a climate
that is both marginal and unpredictable.
The use of corn as a feed base to stimulate livestock production
is the key to Khrushchev's new and radical agricultural policy.
Although plans call for an increase in the production of corn for
grain, greater emphasis is placed on the production of corn for
silage in quantities sufficient to make each livestock-producing
region self sufficient in fodder. In this way, Khrushchev hoped to
exploit the high-yielding corn crop for two purposes, and so make
good his claim that the Soviet Union would surpass the United States
in the per capita production of milk, butter, and meat by 1961.
The purpose of this study is to determine on the basis of
agroclimatic factors the potential distribution and the feasibility
of corn production throughout the Soviet Union. This problem was
approached through (1) examination of the distribution and int'l~nsity
of Soviet corn production in recent years; (2) determination of the
climatic conditions necessary for the growth of corn to be harvested
as grain, silage, and fodder; (3) analysis of the climatic conditions
within potential Soviet corn-growing regions; and (4) analysis and
evaluation of the major regions in respect to their corn-growing and
yield potential. No attempt was made to analyze or evaluate soil
conditions, agricultural techniques, or hybridization in any of the
Soviet corn regions.
1958.
']he cut-off date for research on this report was 3 September
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II. The Current Soviet Corn Program
The Soviet Corn Program was formally launched in January 1955
and had as its goal the sowing of 28 million hectares (69.2 million
acres) annually by 1960. The program necessitated a tremendous change
in Soviet corn production. Whereas previously nearly all of the crop
was grown for grain, emphasis in recent years has been placed on corn
as a fodder crop. Through increased production of fodder corn the
Soviets hope to create a new feed base for their program for the
rapid expansion of livestock production. Each livestock-producing
region within the Soviet Union is expected to become self-sufficient
in fodder. In view of the wide-spread distribution of livestock,
the demand for fodder is great, particularly in the more humid areas
north of the established corn growing regions. The recent and
planned increase in the total areas sown to corn is shown on the
following graph.
AREA SOWN TO CORN
H = Hectares
A= Acres
In Millions of Hectares; Acres 69.2A
28.OH
59.OA
23.9H
1960
(PLAN)
Prior to World War II,?corn ranked sixth among the grain crops
in the Soviet Union. In European USSR the northern boundary of the
area in which corn was grown as grain follows a line drawn from west
to east through Zhitomir, Kiev, Nezhin, Kursk, Voronezh, Syzran,
Buguruslan, and Orenburg; in Asia the boundary followed a line
through Orsk, Troitsk, Kustanay, the Minusinsk steppes, and southern
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Primorskiy Kray. . 25/* Before 1955, when the current program
started, the greater part of the Soviet corn was produced in the
Ukraine, the North Caucasus, and Transcaucasia. Significant amounts
were also produced in the Central Chernozem and Middle Volga Regions
of the RSFSR. Production of green fodder was on a much smaller scale.
Since World War II, however, there has been a gradual shift to
green-fodder production along the northern margins of the grain-corn
area.
Under the impetus of the new program, the area sown increased
sharply from about 4.3 million hectares (10.6 million acres) in
195+ to 17.9 million hectares (44.2 million acres) in 1955 and 23.9
million hectares (59 million acres) in 1956. During the 1955 and
1956 seasons, 67 percent of the corn was still grown as grain in
the old, established corn regions of Moldavia, the Ukraine, the
Caucasus, and the Middle and Lower Volga Regions. Farther to the
north and east, in a wide band extending across the middle of the
Soviet Union, corn is now being grown primarily for fodder and
silage. From the Baltic Republics and Belorussia on the west, this
broad band extends eastward through the Upper Volga Region, the New
Lands Area of western Siberia and northern Kazakhstan, the piedmont
regions of eastern Siberia, and into Primorskiy Kray in the Soviet
Far East.
In 1955, corn was planted in nearly all areas with climatic
and terrain conditions that might conceivably be regarded as suitable
for the crop -- as far north as the Komi ASSR, in the remote alpine
valleys of the Altay Mountains, and in the maritime region of the
Far East. In many cases, however, the plantings proved to be es-
sentially large-scale experiments conducted to determine the
feasibility and productivity of specific varieties of corn under
different conditions. Results of the experience gained in 1955
have been published and disseminated widely as an aid to subsequent
corn production.
Corn planting reached its peak in 1956 (Map 1) when 23.9
million hectares (59 million acres) were planted. The greatest
concentration was in Moldavia, the Ukraine, and the Caucasus region.
About 30 percent of the total crop land in Moldavia was devoted to
corn and 28 percent in the Georgian Republic. In the Ukraine, corn
accounts for only 15 percent of the total cultivated land; but the
republic produces over 53 percent of all the corn grown for grain
within the Soviet Union. The overall 1956 distribution of Soviet
*For serially numbered source references see Appendix D.
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corn land in the country is also shown on Map 1. The distribution
is based on figures reported for individual oblasts and republics,
adjusted to local climatic and terrain conditions.
During the 1956 growing season, adverse climatic conditions
reduced yields substantially. Throughout much of the fodder-producing
area of European USSR, spring was cold and wet, and killing frosts
were unusually early in the autumn. Frost damage extended as far
south as the Central Chernozem Region and the northern Ukraine. Over
extensive areas, corn planted for grain had to be hastily harvested
for fodder.
In 1957, areas planted in corn amounted to only 18.3 million
hectares (1+5.2 million acres) 1+6., a sizable cutback from the
preceding year.* This reduction was probably a reflection of the
unsatisfactory results achieved during 1956, when early frosts
prevented much of the grain-corn crop from maturing and reduced the
value of the silage-corn crop. El The general distribution and
intensity of corn cultivation in 1957 was probably much like that
for the 1955 season.
III. Climatic Requirements for Corn
With the launching of the Soviet Corn Program, corn production
was extended into vast areas in which corn had never before been
grown. The probable success or failure of the program in these new
areas cannot be evaluated on the basis of past experience, but a fair
estimate can be made by comparing the known climatic requirements
and tolerances of corn with climatic conditions in the Soviet Union.
A. Thermal Requirements
Thermal conditions are of particular significance to the
growing of corn. The date of corn planting is governed by average
daily temperature in early spring, since specific temperatures are
required before corn will germinate and grow. Optimum teeratures
for germination are 28? to 30?C (82.1+? to 86?F). 5zJ At
temperatures of 8? to 10?C (46.1+? to 50?F), corn kernels begin to
germinate, but the progress is slow. At temperatures below 8?C
(1+6.1+?F), sprouts tend to turn yellow, and the development of the
plant is greatly retarded; as a result the sprout is more susceptible
than usual to attack by parasitic soil organisms. 10, p. 16; 35, p. 321/
*As in the case of preceding years, there is some disagreement
on the amount of corn planted.
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 U.S.S.R.
DISTRIBUTION OF CORN -1956
MAP 1
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Low temperatures also tend to lengthen the planting and
emergence periods of seed corn. In moist soil, sprouts emerge
about 4 to 6 days after planting when air temperatures are about
28? to 30?C (82.4? to 86?F), P. 11+-15/ but they re uire 8 to
10 days at temperatures of 15? to 180C 59? to 64-.4+?F) and 18 to
20 days at temperatures of 100 to 13?C (50? to 55.)+?F). 35, P. 319
Although the young plants are relatively resistent to cold
weather, late spring frosts are a critical factor in corn production.
A minimum temperature of -2?C (.28.4?F) usually constitutes a "killing
frost", but some varieties are able to survive slightly lower
temperatures.* Older plants -- 6 weeks old -- experience injury at
somewhat higher temperatures. A plant exposed to temperatures of
0.5? to 5?C (32.9? to 41?F) for different lengths of time can recover
and be capable of seed production provided less than 25 percent of
the plant is injured. 35, p 22 However, if more than 50 percent
of the plant is injured, it?can seldom recover.
High temperatures may also be a major factor in limiting corn
growth in the arid and semiarid regions. Observations show that
seedlings 10 days old are very resistant to high temperatures.
With increased age the plants become less resistant; 16 to 20 days
after emergence, corn is particularly susceptible to damage from
high temperatures. 35, P. 322
The rate of corn growth was found to be correlated more
closely with temperature than any other single climatic factor
when temperatures above 10?C (500F) were considered. Differences
in temperature alone can account for 1+0 to 70 percent of the
variation in the growth rate. 35, p. 22 The greatest variation
in growth rate occurs during the period between emergence and
tasseling. Although the accumulation of temperatures prior to
tasseling determine the date of tasseling; thereafter, heat plays
a much less important role. Observations of a so-called 115-day
variety of corn indicate that it takes 71l days to reach the tasseling
stage at an average temperature of 20?C (68?F), but only 54 days at
22.8?C (73?F). 35, p. 23 Cool nights increase the time needed
to reach the tasseling stage. A difference of 4+.4 degrees centigrade
(8 degrees F) during the 60 days following planting, in one case,
caused a variation of nearly a month in the date of tasseling (see
Figures 1-4). 35, P. 324
*A "Minnesota 23" variety grown in northern Kazakhstan recovered
from a frost of -3.1?C (26.1+?F); see Source 11, p. 173.
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Figure 1. Corn planting in the Moldavian SSSR.
Figure 2. Corn at
the beginning of the
tasseling staf;e.
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Figure Corn in milk stage being harvested for ensilage.
Figure it. Corn in
fully ripened stage
of maturity.
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A convenient index for expressing the variations in thermal
conditions affecting corn growth is the sum of temperatures or the
accumulated heat above a specified base temperature. Sums of
temperatures above 10?C (50?F) were found to provide a relatively
precise gauge for the amount of heat needed to bring corn to
specific stages of maturity. This method of measuring temperature
requirements has proved successful in tests conducted jointly in
the United States and the Netherlands. ~ A slight variation of
this method is used extensively in the USSR. The figure used by
the Soviets is the sum of the average daily temperatures of all
days during the growing season that have average daily temperatures
of 10?C (50?F) or more. The use of data on the sums of temperatures
is limited by the fact that it has not proved entirely satisfactory
for determining the heat needed to bring corn from the milk-wax
stage to maximum dry weight of full maturity.
Variations in temperature have a lesser effect on the rate of
maturing during the period from silking to maximum dry weight than
during the preceeding stages of development. Studies conducted in
Iowa indicate that the biological development of corn during this
period is relatively independent of weather conditions. 35, p. 21+
Although growth is not involved, the rate of drying of the corn
plant is influenced by weather -- high winds, sunshine, and warm --
dry days tending to accelerate the ripening process.
Corn growth ends with the first killing frost (-2? to -3?C/
28.1+? to 26.6?F) in the autumn. This event usually coincides with
the time when average temperatures fall below 10?C (50?F). Growth
rate decreases rapidly as the temperature approaches the 100C level.
At lower temperatures, corn usually fails to ripen, particularly in
the more northern latitudes where the autumns are moist and cloudy.
B. Moisture Requirements
Moisture conditions, like thermal, play a key role in the
biological development of corn. The importance of moisture varies
with the stage of development of the plant -- demands being lowest
when the plant is young and greatest during the period of tasseling
and the formation of the ear. Specific precipitation requirements
for given periods of development are impossible to establish, since
many other variables influence the effectiveness of the moisture.
Air and soil temperatures, wind, evaporation, and humidity, as well
as the surface water runoff and the moisture retentivity of the
soil sharply influence the effectiveness of precipitation in a
specific region. As a result, precipitation itself does not set
sharp limits to corn growth, but decreasingly favorable moisture
conditions (of which precipitation is a part) result in a roughly
proportional reduction of yields below the normal.
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Precipitation is seldom a critical factor during the early
part of the growing season, since the rainfall is supplemented by
moisture retained in the soil from the preceding winter. Furthermore,
the moisture requirements of the corn plant tend to be relatively
small during the initial stages of growth.
At planting time, a silt-loam soil that is at least 10 percent
saturated provides moisture sufficient for germination 35, p. 319/,
but the rate of germination is accelerated with an increase of
moisture up to 80 percent saturation. Beyond this, an increase in
soil moisture retards or may prevent germination.
For the first month of plant growth, moisture requirements
remain relatively low -- roughly equivalent to 1.5 inches (38 milli-
meters) of precipitation. 35, p. 332/ Yields, however, cannot be
predicted reliably on the basis of early seasonal setbacks, since
the corn plant has tremendous recuperative powers during its early
stages of growth.
Precipitation was found to be most important to successful
corn growth during the tasseling-Bilking period. 35, p. 334 In
the United States corn belt, the 10 days following blossoming were
found to be the most critical period. In Central Iowa,
precipitation of 1 inch (25.4 millimeters) or less in July resulted
in below-average yields, and 1 to 3.5 inches (25.11 to 88.9 milli-
meters) of precipitation gave best yields if average temperatures
were about 71?F (21.7?C). 5, p. 3291 Highest yields occurred when
rainfall was 4 inches (102 millimeters) or more and temperatures
were higher than 71?F (21.7?C). No consideration was given to the
distribution of rainfall during the month. In the Soviet Union,
the water requirements of corn are considered to be most critical
during the period beginning 10 days prior to tasseling and continuing
through flowering. During this period, covering about a month, the
corn plant demands more than 75 percent of its total moisture
requirements. 21,_p. 6
Other investigations indicate that drought near tasseling-
silking time may have very adverse effects on productivity. Droughts
may delay silking in relation to tasseling and result in infertility
in the tassels and a high incidence of barren or nearly barren
stalks. 35, p. 324
Precipitation requirements remain relatively high from the
silking stage to the time of maximum dry weight. In Central Iowa,
2.5 inches (64 millimeters) of precipitation in August gave normal
yields; with smaller amounts, yields decreased and with greater
amounts increased. 35, p. 330/
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During the ripening stage -- dent stage to maximum dry weight --
low precipitation is an advantage. Warm, dry days with considerable
sunshine are believed to accelerate the rate of ripening.
C. Other Climatic Requirements
The amount of light received has a significant influence on
the rate of corn growth. The period between planting to tasseling
is reduced by short days and increased by long days. In the more
northern latitudes, the long, bright days delay the time of tasseling,
flowering, and ear formation. At Perm, USSR (58?N latitude), corn
grown under normal light conditions was compared with that grown
under experimental conditions with a 50 percent reduction in the
length of daylight. The reduction of daylight from 18 to 9 hours
over a 15-day period accelerated the planting-flowering time by an
average of 1 week. 19, p. 12/ In another test of longer duration,
corn subjected to an B.5-hour day for a period of 34+ days began
flowering more than a month earlier than the same variety grown with
the natural day length of about 14+.5 hours. 1, p. 31
Hail can also cause severe damage locally. The usual form of
hail damage is the shredding of the leaves, and in severe cases the
entire leaf may be ripped from the midrib. Yield reductions due to
hail injury are roughly proportional to the amount of tissue lost,
but vary with the plant's stage of development. When the plant is
young, hail damage causes relatively slight reduction of yield. The
effect of hail damage gradually becomes more pronounced, reaching a
peak at tasseling time, thereafter the effect decreases again as
maturity is approached. 1, 314 Hail injury that causes complete
defoliation when plants are 0 percent tasselled will result in
almost total crop loss, and over 50 percent defoliation causes very
severe reduction in yield. 35, P. 335/
IV. Climatic Limitations Within the Soviet Union
A. General
On the basis of climate alone, only a relatively small part
of the Soviet Union is ideally suited for corn production. The rest
of the country experiences various degrees of temperature or moisture
deficiency that would reduce crop yields. The best areas climatically
are the Caucasus Region, and the Carpathian Region. Although limited
in extent, these regions account for some of the highest crop yields
and greatest densities of corn planting in the Soviet Union. All
of these regions are too small to contribute major amounts to Soviet
grain or fodder production.
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In the southern half of the Ukraine, thermal conditions are
nearly ideal for the growth of corn as grain; but precipitation falls
off sharply to the south toward the Black Sea coast and to the east
toward the Lower Don Region, and droughts are frequent.
Northward and eastward from the center of the Ukraine,
precipitation becomes more favorable; but the shorter growing
season and the lower daytime temperatures are obstacles to the
ripening of corn. Because of these less favorable thermal conditions,
corn is grown for silage; or, if corn is to ripen as grain, one of
the early-maturing, low-yielding varieties must be planted. The
northern limit of practical corn growing is about 580N latitude in
European USSR. Farther north, limited heat and unpredictable frosts
usually prevent corn from developing much beyond the tasseling stage.
In the New Lands Area of western Siberia and northern Kazakhstan,
corn production is highly precarious, being severely limited on the
north by the extremely short growing season and on the south by
decreasing precipitation. Climatic conditions tend to be somewhat
more favorable in the Altay Region; but in East Siberia and the
Soviet Far East, climatic conditions are generally poor, and the
ruggedness of the terrain limits corn production to small areas of
only local significance.
The Soviets rely on three jnain groups of corn varieties to
match the wide range of thermal conditions found in the Soviet
corn-producing area.* The late varieties give the highest yields
both as grain and silage,but their high thermal requirements restrict
production to the southern part of the USSR. In the greater part of
the corn area to the north, thermal conditions are less favorable;
and reliance must be placed upon the lower-yielding average- and
early-maturing varieties which, respectively, have about 70 percent
and 4+5 percent of the yield of the late-maturing varieties under
optimum conditions.
B. Temperature
The potential corn growing area of the Soviet Union includes
a wide range of thermal conditions. To a large extent, local
temperatures, however, dictate which kind of corn can be grown at
a given latitude and the degree of maturity that can be expected.
*A list of specific varieties, subdivided into detailed groups
on the basis of maturing rates, is given in Appendix A.
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The dates of the last killing frost in the spring and the first
killing frost in autumn set fixed limits to the growing season. In
the Georgian Republic the last spring frost occurs about 1 April, and
at 58?N in European USSR about 20 May, some 50 days later. In the
New Lands Area (500 - 57?N) the last spring frost occurs even later --
roughly from 20 May to 1 June in western Siberia and northern Kazakhstan
and between 1 and 10 June in the southern part of eastern Siberia.
In autumn killing frosts occur first in the more northern
latitudes, and progressively later to the south. The first killing
frost usually occurs about mid-September at the latitude of Vologodskaya
Oblast' (59?N), about 5 October in Kar'khovskaya Oblast' (50?N), and
as late as 1 December in coastal areas in the Georgian Republic. In
the New Lands Area in West Siberia and northern Kazakhstan the average
date of the first killing frost is between 10 and 20 September.
The frost-free season decreases from about 290 days in the
subtropical region of Georgia to less than 100 days in the northern
part of Kirovskaya Oblast' (about 60?N). In the established corn
region of the central part of the Ukraine, the average frost-free
season begins in the latter part of April and lasts until the
beginning of November, a period of about 160 days. In much of the
New Lands Area, the frost-free season is only 110 to 120 days in
length, thus limiting corn growing to fodder and silage production.
In the northern half of the potential Soviet corn-growing
area, lack of heat is the major limiting factor to corn production.
Heat not only establishes the northern limit to the area where corn
will ripen as grain, but it also determines the degree of maturity
that can be attained where corn is grown as silage. The more mature
the green corn becomes, the higher its nutritional value as fodder
or silage. In addition, accumulative heat -- measured as the sums
of temperatures above .10?C -- serves as a useful index for indicating
the degree of maturity a particular variety of corn is likely to
attain in a given region, despite the fact that its vegetative
period may vary by a month or more in length from region to region.
Average accumulated heat needed for corn in the USSR is shown on
the following table. 14, p. 405/
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Average Sums of Temperatures Above 10?C
Needed by Selected Varieties of Corn to
Reach Specific Stages of Maturity*
Variety of Corn
Planting to
Tasseling
Planting to
Milk Stage
of Grain
Planting to
Wax Stage
of Grain
Planting
to Full
Maturity
Very Early Maturing
1,100
1,700
1,900
2,100
Early Maturing
1,200
1,800
2,000
2,200
Average Maturing
1,1+00
2,100
2,300
2,500
Late Maturing
1,500
2,200
2,1i-00
2,700
JThe sums of the average daily temperatures of all days during
the growing season that have average daily temperatures of 10?C (50?F)
or more.
*See Appendix A for a list of specific corn varieties which are
subdivided according to maturing rate.
Information on corn grown in various sections of the Soviet
Union illustrates the reliability of sums of temperatures as an
index. In Table 2; two varieties of corn having different maturing
characteristics are compared in respect to the length of their
vegetative period and the accumulative heat (sums of temperatures)
required to bring them to maturity. 30, p. 23/ For mature corn the
vegetative periods vary by almost a month in length for either
variety; the sums of temperatures required through the growing
season remain relatively constant, varying by only 180 degrees
centigrade for the early-maturing variety and by 270 degrees
centigrade for the average-maturing.
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Length of the Vegetative Period and Thermal Requirements of
Two Varieties of Corn in Various Parts of the Soviet Union
Early Maturing Variety Average Maturing Variety
(Spasovskaya) .(Minnesota 13)
Location of
Length of
Vegetative
Accumulative Length of
Temperatures a/ Vegetative
Accumulative
Temperatures J
Experiment
Period
Required to Period
Required to
Station
in days)
Reach Maturity (in days)
Reach Maturity
Tambov
131
2,230
(Tambovskaya Oblast')
Balashov
125
2,260
140
2,450
(Saratovskaya Oblast')
Voronezh
1P9
2,280
133
2,300
(Voronezhskaya Oblast')
Bezenchuk
117
2,270
132
2,520
(Kuybyshevskaya Oblast')
Saratov
113
2,180
123
2,370
(Saratovskaya Oblast')
Kamyshin
106
2,120
119
2,350
(Stalingradskaya Oblast')
Krasnokutsk
105
2,150
121
2,360
(Khar'kovskaya Oblast')
Moldavia
118
2,200
138
2,570
(Moldavian Republic)
Rostov
106
2,220
113
2,370
(Rostovskaya Oblast')
Krasnodar
---
---
113
2,350
(Krasnodarskiy Kray)
Yessentuki
---
---
134
2,480
(Southern Stavropol'skiy Kray)
Ural'sk
114
2,300
121
2,430
(Zapadno-Kazakhstanskaya
Oblast')
Slavgorod
119
2,230
(Western Altayskiy Kray)
Semipalatinsk
111
2,220
---
---
(Vostochno-Kazakhstanskaya
Oblast')
a Sums of average daily temperatures of all days during the growing season
that have average daily temperature of 10?C or.more.
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Accumulative temperatures expressed as the sums of temperatures
for the potential corn-growing regions of the Soviet Union are shown
on Map 2. The extreme southern part of the country has the greatest
heat resources; toward the north, the heat resources diminish pro-
gressively. At about latitude 52ON in the northern Ukraine and at
the southern end of the Urals, the accumulative heat is about half
that of southern Central Asia, and at about latitude 60ON only one-
third. The highly productive, late-maturing varieties requiring
about 2,700 degrees accumulative heat will generally fail to ripen
fully at latitudes north of 50ON in European USSR. Average-maturing
varieties requiring 2,500 degrees of accumulative heat can be grown
for grain only as far north as the northern Ukraine and the Central
Chernozem and the Middle Volga Regions. The early-maturing varieties,
requiring 2,200 degrees of accumulative heat, ripen as far north as
central Lithuania, central Belorussia, and the southwestern parts
of the Tatarskaya and Bashkirskaya ASSR's.
The limits for corn raised as silage and fodder are also
restricted on the north by the accumulative heat required to produce
a given stage of maturity. From the standpoint of yield, the
average-nurturing varieties are generally the most suitable for
the limited heat resources of the more northern latitudes. These
varieties require 1,400 degrees to reach the tasseling stage, when
it can be cut as green fodder; 2,100 degrees to reach the milk stage
of grain, when the plant is suitable for either fodder or silage;
and 2,300 degrees to reach the wax stage, when the nutritional
value as silage is particularly high.*
The extreme northern limit of practical corn growing for any
purpose is roughly the 1,600-degree sums-of-temperatures isoline,
since only varieties that mature very early will mature sufficiently
to justify their cultivation.even for feed at such latitudes.
*A comparison of U.S. and Soviet data on the nutritional value
of corn harvested at various stages of growth is presented in a
recent article by D. Gale Johnson Corn Production Possibilities in
the Soviet Union (pp. 1-5). Conclusions concerning nutritional
yields depend on the criteria used to gage the nutritional value of
corn. U.S. data indicate that corn produces the best silage when
the grain is in the later part of the wax stage and beginning to
dent. At this stage the amount of fat, protein, and dry matter is
nearly as high as that for corn at full maturity. Soviet data
indicate that corn yields more feed units per hectare in the wax
stage than any other, including that of full maturity.
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In the northern part of the Soviet corn-producing area, low
daily temperatures during the beginning of the growing season retard
germination and subject the seeds, roots, and the shoots of the young
corn plants to attack by ground parasites and insects. 7 P. 1-
In this area heavy damage is caused by the wireworm. These parasites
become active when soil temperatures reach 50 or 6?C (410 to 42.8?F).
Corn, on the other hand, begins to germinate at 8? or 100C (46.40 to
500F). If the corn is planted earlier the seeds do not germinate
or germinate slowly, which subjects the kernel, and later the
slow-growing sprout and root, to wireworm attack. In the Tatarskaya
ASSR and in Ryazanskaya, Moskovskaya, and Leningradskaya Oblasts,
heavy damage was caused by wireworm in 195+ and 1955; and crop losses
attributable to insects, especially the wireworm, in places amounted
to 20 to 25 percent for the total planting. In addition, in the
Leningrad and Moscow areas during the same period, the low spring
temperatures retarded corn growth, which resulted in considerable
damage by the Swedish fly.
C. Precipitation
Precipitation varies greatly within the potential corn-producing
area of the Soviet Union, and much of the land to the east and south-
east is marginal from the standpoint of moisture. In the most favorable
region, the western part of the Georgian Republic, the precipitation
amounts to 2,000 millimeters (79 inches) or more per year. Another
favorable area is the piedmont of the Northern Caucasus, which
receives 650 to 800 millimeters (26 to 31 inches) of rainfall annually.
In other potential corn growing regions, yearly precipitation ranges
from about 300 to 650 millimeters (12 to 26 inches)) the former being
considered the minimum precipitation limit of corn production without
irrigation. 18, p. 132/
Of greater importance than the total is the amount of precipitation
that falls during the growing season of corn, especially when the
moisture demands of the plant are the greatest (Map 3). If the
period between the tasseling and milk stages of the grain is taken
as the time when moisture is most essential, then the most critical
period falls between June and August throughout the Soviet Union,
but the exact dates vary considerably from place to place. Planting
time and the rate of plant growth determine largely the date at which
specific varieties reach the milk stage of development. Early-
maturing varieties reach this stage about 10 July in the Lower Volga
Region and in late August at the latitude of Vologodskaya Oblast'
(59?N).
The major part of the established area of grain-corn growing
receives between 150 and 225 millimeters (6 and 9 inches) of rain
during the critical June-August period. For most of the silage- and
- 16
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U.S.S.R.
SUMS OF TEMPERATURES
DURING THE GROWING SEASON
Sum of average daily temperatures of all days during growing season
that have average daily temperature of 105C or more
 m
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U.S.S.R.
PRECIPITATION DURING CRITICAL PERIOD FOR CORN
(June-August)
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fodder-producing areas, precipitation during the June-August period
(see Map 2, following p. 15) ranges from 100 to 250 millimeters
(1+ to 10 inches). Areas with rainfall in excess of 250 millimeters
(10 inches) are limited to most of the Georgian Republic, the piedmonts
of the Caucasus and the Carpathian Mountains, the Belorussia-Smolensk
Upland and the Soviet Far East.
D. Other Climatic Factors
Wind is a significant climatic factor in corn production chiefly
in the less humid plains areas, where few physical barriers prevent
the winds from sweeping in from the south and southeast. Throughout
the steppe and forest-steppe regions, winds of gale force (over 51
kilometers/32 miles per hour) are common. In northern Kazakhstan,
gales blow an average of about 14 to 26 times during the period from
April through September. The frequency of gales decreases to the
west (Kuybyshev, 5; Khar'kov, 4+) and to the northwest (Kazan', 0;
Gor'kiy, 6; Moscow, 9).
Of particular importance is the "sukhovey", a hot, dry wind
that is common in the southern and southeastern parts of the corn
area and contributes to crop dessication. At the time of the
sukhovey, the flow of air becomes hot and dry, with speeds up to
kilometers (40 miles) per hour. If these winds occur during the
flowering-silking stage of corn, they dessicate the delicate parts
of the tassel and ear and reduce crop yields. The sukhovey also may
cause severe wilting or permanent damage to the plant if it continues
for an extended period of time.
As a climatic phenomenon, hail is of minor importance; but it
can cause a considerable amount of damage to corn locally. Long-term
Soviet observations indicate that hail is most frequent in the
mountainous or upland regions where the air turbulence is the greatest.
In the southern part of the USSR, particularly in the piedmont regions
of the Caucasus, hail storms occur 7 or 8 times during the summer. In
the remainder of European USSR, hail is less common. It occurs on
only 2 to 3 days during the growing season on the Smolensk-Moscow
Ridge and in the Valday, Central-Russian, and Pre-Volga Uplands; and
on only 1 or 2 days in the flatter areas of European USSR. The area
with least hail is the southeastern part of the RSFSR. In European
USSR, over 60 percent of the days with hail occurs in May and June,
the period of rapid corn growth prior to tasseling.
V. Phenological Aspects of Corn Distribution in the Soviet Union
Phenological data, in which specific stages of plant growth are
correlated with climatic conditions, have been used to establish the
critical dates in the vegetative development of corn, such as the
time of planting and harvesting and the dates on which major varieties
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of corn reach specific stages of maturity -- tasseling, milk stage
of grain, and fully ripened grain. Maps 4 through 7 show the critical
dates in the vegetative history of early- and average-maturing
varieties of corn in the Soviet Union.
Planting dates are commonly set in one of three ways. The
first and probably the most commonly used is the average date of
the last spring frost. This method is useful for ascertaining the
potential planting dates over a broad area and over a period of
years. The second, which is somewhat more exact locally for any
specific year, is based on soil temperatures. It is particularly
well adapted to the northern parts of the Soviet corn area, where
the growing season is short. Here corn is planted when soil
temperatures reach 10? or 12?C (50? or 53.6?F) at a depth of 10
centimeters (3.9 inches). 33, p. 595/ The third method is based on
air temperatures. Average air temperatures are fairly closely
correlated with average soil temperatures. In a given year, however,
the march of temperature may vary considerably from the average,
which makes this method the least reliable of the three. Nevertheless,
air temperature is a simple and useful guide to the time of planting,
particularly where local factors other than climate must be considered.
Planting dates vary by more than 2 months in the Soviet Union,
ranging from the beginning of April in the Georgian Republic to about
10 June in the southern part of East Siberia (Map 4). In the
established corn regions -- Moldavia, the Ukraine, and the Kuban
Region of the North Caucasus -- corn can be planted between 10 April
and 1 May. At such latitudes the growing season is long enough to
permit a delay of a couple of weeks in the time of planting. Farther
north the date of planting becomes a critical factor because the
short growing season permits no delay in planting.
The early-maturing varieties of corn, such as Spasovskaya, are
best adapted to areas in which heat or moisture resources are marginal.
Because of insufficient heat, these are the only varieties that can
be grown near the northern limits of the potential corn-producing
area. To the east and southeast, on the other hand, moisture is
inadequate for other varieties at their critical growth periods.
In the New Lands Area, for example, corn must mature before the
droughty conditions of late summer set in.
Early-maturing varieties reach the milk stage of development
in a relatively short time after germination -- by 10 July in the
Lower Volga Region, and by 1 September at 58?N latitude in Yaroslavskya
Oblast' (Map 5). In much of the New Lands Area, early-maturing
varieties reach the milk stage of development between 20 and 31
August; in the Soviet Far East this stage is reached between 10 and
31 August. The early-maturing varieties also reach full maturity
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 S..d.d m.mor.(.gim& >1H..
Arse n whkh offal. prohibit growth f - (1000 m.).
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U.S.S.R
AVERAGE PLANTING DATE FOR CORN
(Averagd date of last killing frost in spring)
 Sdecled mslaorobyicol slake,
Area it which afihde prohibits growth of nom (1000 m.)
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U.S.S.R.
PHENOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT OF
EARLY-MATURING VARIETIES OF CORN
(North Dakota),
1 AUG. -- Average dab when grain reachesilk stage of maturity
-10 AUG-- .Average dote when grain ripens
 A Selected met.orologiwl tolion
W Area in wmdr ohnod. prohibih growth of now (toSS rn.)
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U.S.S.R.
PHENOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT OF
AVERAGE- MATURING VARIETIES OF CORN
(Minnesota 13)
no IULY....... Average date of -,ling
--20 AliG: - Averag. dote when grain ranches milk .age of moNrity
-10 SEPT.- Average date when grain ripen.
 U.S.S.R.
END OF GROWING SEASON FOR CORN
(Average date of first killing frost in autumn)
? S.IMed ,n.t orow9imi nndon
Area i. which arimd. prohibih grwwh of corn (1000 mJ
2660) 758
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 Approved For Release 2000/05/30 : CIA-RDP79-01009AO02100070008-4
in a shorter time than later varieties. The dates at which this
stage is reached-are 1 August at Odessa, 20 August at Kharkov, and
20 September at Vladimir. In European USSR, south of the latitude
of 52?N, early-maturing varieties can be expected to ripen nearly
every year. At roughly the latitude of Moscow, however, the date
of ripening is about the same as that of the first killing frost
in autumn. In the New Lands Area, early-maturing corn ripens between
20 August and 10 September. In the lower Amur River basin in the
Soviet Far East, the early-maturing varieties can be expected to
ripen somewhat earlier, usually during the later half of August.
Compared with the early varieties, average-maturing varieties,
such as Minnesota 13, require a longer time to reach each successive
stage of development, and may fail to ripen in much of the area
north of latitude 52?N (Map 6). Average-maturing varieties, however,
are well adapted to these northern latitudes if they are cut for
silage in the tasseling or milk stage of development.
Average-maturing varieties ripen fully only in the southern
part of European USSR and in Central Asia. Dates of ripening vary
from 10 August in the Lower Volga Region to about 20 September in
the Central Chernozem and Middle Volga Regions. In both western
Siberia and the Soviet Far East heat resources are too limited to
ripen these varieties.
Tasseling of average-maturing varieties occurs between 10 July
and 20 August in the greater part of central European USSR. Milk
stage of the grain is reached about a month later in each area.
Autumn frosts, however, generally prevent these varieties from
developing beyond the milk stage north of the latitude of Moscow.
In the eastern part of the New Lands Area and in the Soviet Far
East, only the southern parts of the USSR have sufficient heat to
develop the grain to the milk stage, when it is mature enough for
silage of fair quality.
The vegetative growth for corn of all varieties (Map 7) ends
with the occurrence of the first killing frost. The date is most
important in the northern latitudes where corn is grown as fodder
or silage. Here the harvesting must be completed before the onset
of autumn frosts; otherwise the feed value of the corn will be
reduced considerably by freezing. Vegetative growth ends about
10 September in the north and about 1 November in the southern
part of European USSR and as late as 1 December in the coastal
section of Georgia. In the New Lands Area of northern Kazakhstan
and western Siberia, corn is subject to frosts between 10 and 20
September. In the Soviet Far East, autumn frosts occur somewhat
later -- from 20 September to later than 1 October.
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VI. Agroclimatic Adequacy Zones of the Soviet Union
On the basis of climatic adequacy, the entire Soviet corn-
growing area has been divided into a series of overlapping zones,
the northern boundaries of which form the northernmost limits for
the growing of given varieties of corn for grain or
silage (Maps 8
and 9). Except in the Lower Don Region, all of the
zones have a
common southern boundary which is determined by the
frequency of
drought. Each zone includes the area in which a specific variety
can be grown with a high expectancy of success, the boundaries
having been established on the basis of adequate heat in at least
9 years out of every 10. In the south those regions that have
inadequate precipitation are also subject to frequent droughts.
Regions in which the drought frequency during the vegetative
period of corn averages 4 years out of every 10 have been considered
as having inadequate moisturel.
The best silage-producing areas of the Soviet Union are those
in which late-maturing varieties will reach at least the milk-wax
stage of ripeness. In European USSR the northern limit of this
area is marked by a line that passes through the central part of
the Ukraine, the southern part of the Central Chernozem Region,
and the central part of the Volga Region. In the remainder of the
Soviet Union, only the southern part of Central Asia is sufficiently
hot for the production of silage from late-maturing varieties of corn.
Average-maturing varieties give lower yields but produce good-
quality silage in areas farther north. The area in which average-
maturing varieties reach the milk-wax stage of maturity is bounded
on the north by a line that passes through the northern part of the
Ukraine, and Tamboyskaya, Ul'yanovskaya, and Orenburgskaya Oblasts
in the RSFSR. In the rest of the Soviet Union (excluding the
southern part of Central Asia), the cumulative heat is sufficient
to bring average-maturing varieties to the milk-wax stage of
ripeness only in the northern part of Kazakhstan, the southwestern
part of Altayskiy Kray, and the southern part of the Soviet Far East.
1The drought threshold for corn has not been clearly established,
since corn is more susceptible to drought at some stages of growth
than others. Furthermore susceptibility of corn to drought varies
with the type of corn and the area in which it is grown. The southern
boundary based on drought frequency appears to be valid, however.
It generally coincides with the line of drought frequency for spring
wheat based on a 20 to 25 percent reduction in yield from long-term
averages in 4 years out of every ten. Since corn is more susceptible
to drought than spring wheat, it is assumed that the reductions in
yield of corn would be even greater.
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AGROCLIMATIC ~IDEQUACY FOR GROWTH OF CORN
FOR FODDE OR SILAGE (Probable 9 years in 10)
^..?..?...^?I, Evrly-maturing varieties reach tasseling stage
-- Average-maturing varieties revahtasseling stage
III Latamarurinp varieties reach tasseling stage
-....^. Early-maturing varieties Leash milk-wax stage
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Corn can be grown farther north, but it reaches only the
tasseling stage before the first killing frost, and as a result
the quality of the silage or fodder is considerably reduced. Late-
maturing varieties can be expected to reach tasseling stage as far
north as the latitude of Moscow (56?N) in European USSR and
average-maturing varieties as far north as the latitude of Vologda
(59?N). In the New Lands Area, late-maturing varieties will reach
tasseling stage in the area south of a line roughly joining
Chelyabinsk, Omsk, and Novosibirsk. Average-maturing varieties can
be expected to tassel in much of the remainder of the New Lands Area,
as well as in scattered areas along the southern margins of East
Siberia and in the Soviet Far East.
The northernmost limit of feasible fodder-corn production is
about 60?N latitude in European USSR and 58?N in West Siberia. At
these latitudes only the early-maturing varieties reach the tasseling
stage of development before the first killing frost.
The best regions for the production of corn for grain (Map 9)
are those which receive sufficient heat to ripen the high-yielding,
late-maturing varieties of corn. These regions include the southern
half of Moldavia and the Ukraine, and the Caucasus.
Average- and early-maturing varieties ripen to the grain stage
at latitudes farther north. In European USSR, all of the areas as
far north as the central Ukraine, the southern part of the Chernozem
Region, and Orenburgskaya Oblast' receive enough heat to ripen
average-maturing varieties. Early-maturing varieties will ripen
farther north, but the grain yields are so low that it is more
profitable to grow other varieties of corn for silage.
VII. Climatic Basis for Estimating Corn Yields in the Soviet Union
Estimating potential yields on the basis of climatic conditions
is extremely difficult, since yields actually represent the end
result not only of climate but also of many other interrelated
factors. In the Soviet corn areas, however, climate plays a greater
role in influencing yields than in any other major corn-producing
area of the world. A larger part of the total area is marginal
climatically, and weather conditions vary considerably and
unpredictably from one year to the next. As a result yields fluctuate
sharply, reflecting the year to year variations in the weather.
In a particular area the major climatic elements that affect
corn yields act both individually and in combination. Accumulative
temperatures dictate which varieties can be grown, thus determining
the basic range of yields that can be expected. A number of other
climatic factors, however, are simultaneously instrumental in affect-
ing yields of the variety of corn grown.
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The actual usable moisture available for corn growth during
given periods, for example, depends primarily on the total precipitation
in a given year minus losses through evaporation and transpiration.
Both of these losses, in turn, are functions of the prevailing air
temperatures and wind velocities, as well as the growth stage of the
corn plant. Moisture adequacy is a particularly critical factor
during the period of rapid vegetative growth, when the moisture
demands of corn are the greatest and the yield potential of the
plant is established.
Soviet researchers, F. F. Davitaya and others, introduced the
use of hydrothermal coefficients (GTK) as a means of indicating
moisture adequacy during the critical periods of corn growth and
estimating potential yields under given climatic conditions. 14, p. 407
and i+14 This index is based on the relationship between the total
precipitation and the sums of temperatures for the June-August period.*
Moisture adequacy as indicated by GTK values have been computed for
various parts of the Soviet corn-producing-area on the basis of
long-term climatic averages (Map 10). Hydrothermal coefficient
values computed range from 0.6 in the drier marginal areas to more
than 1.8 in the most humid areas.
Yields of corn grown on a series of test plots have been
analyzed on the basis of various degrees of moisture adequacy
(Table 1.). 14+, p. 415/ In these tests, 33 varieties of corn were
grown on 275 different but unidentified variety-testing plots in
European and Asiatic USSR (the actual geographic location of these
plots was not indicated). The varieties were broken down into
three groups, depending on their rate of ripening. These varieties
were compared on the basis of their average yields under various
degrees of hydrothermal adequacy. The test yields represent the
optimum under given climatic conditions, since testing plots
receive much better care than the ordinary fields. No consideration
was given to soil fertility or terrain.
*The actual Hydrothermal Coefficients as applied to corn is
derived as follows:
Hydrothermal coefficient = Total precipitation in mm. (June-August) 10
Sums of temperatures in C (June-August)
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 U.S.S.R
ADEQUACY DURING CRITICAL
GROWTH PERIOD OF CORN
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optimum Yields of Corn (in centners per hectare)
According to Groups of Varieties on the Basis of Moisture Adequacy
Between June and August
Early-Maturing Varieties
Average-Maturing Varieties
Late-Maturing Varieties
Average
Average
Average
GTK
Number of-
GTK
Number of GTK
Number of
Value
Yields,
Observations
Value
Yielda Observations Value
Yielda
Observations
For Grain
0.3
11
33
0.3
15
54
0.2
15
19
0.6
19
99
0.6
26
191
0.6
29
37
1.0
25
89
1.0
33
147
1.0
38
26
1.4
28
59
1.4
39
53
1.4
48
11
1.9
26
24
1.8
43
For Silage
21
1.7
63
6
0.3
43
11
0.3
145
5
0.3
125
4
o.6
147
22
0.6
175
24
0.6
212
47
1.0
160
29
1.0
208
17
1.0
249
54
1.4
152
24
1.4
279
12
1.4
330
28
1.9
208
12
2.0
388
4
2.0
454
28
Average Grain and Silage Yields
of Various Corn Groups
Early-Maturing Varieties Average-Maturing Varieties
Average Percentage Average Percentage
GTK Value of GTK Value of
June-August Optimum June-August Optimum
For Grain
Late-Maturing Varieties
Average Percentage of
GTK Value of
June-August Optimum
0.3
17
0.3
24
0.2
24
o.6
30
0.6
41
0.6
46
1.0
40
1.0
52
1.0
64
1.4
45
1.4
62
1.4
76
1.9
41
1.8
68
1.7
100
0.3
9
0.3
32
0.3
28
0.6
32
o.6
39
0.6
47
1.0
35
1.0
46
1.0
55
1.4
33
1.4
63
1.4
73
1.9
46
2.0
84
2.0
100
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The data in Table 4 indicate that yields vary considerably between
groups in relation to GTK coefficients. Under moderately favorable
moisture conditions (1.4 GTK) the grain yields of the late-maturing
varieties exceeded the yields of the average-maturing and early-maturing
varieties by 23 and 71 percent, respectively. On the basis of moisture
adequacy alone, yields of the late-maturing varieties become higher
as the GTK coefficient increases -- averaging 63 centners per hectare
(101 busia.els per acre) at 1.7 GTK compared with only 15 centner s per
hectare (24 bushels per acre) at 0.2 GTK.
If the best grain yields* of the late-maturing varieties are
considered as optimum for the Soviet corn areas, the yields of the
other varieties under various degrees of moisture adequacy can be
evaluated as a percentage of this optimum (Table 4). The silage
yields of the various varieties were calculated in a similar manner
in order to rate their relative productivity**.
The yields of both average- and late-maturing corn increase
rapidly with increases in the moisture adequacy; the best yields of
the average-maturing corn are only slightly more than two-thirds that
of the late varieties. The early-maturing varieties are less than
half as productive as the late-maturing varieties when grown as grain.
For silage,purposes, the various varieties show the same pattern of
yields relative to the optimum as corn for grain purposes. The
early-maturing varieties have a low level of productivity. Both the
two other groups have considerably higher productivity even under the
less favorable moisture conditions.
VIII. Regional Summary
The Soviet Union has been divided into nine major corn growing
regions, the boundaries of which conform in general with the statistical
reporting districts on the oblast level (Map 11). Each of these regions
has distinctive capabilities for corn production, depending on its
climatic conditions. Detailed climatic data for representative
stations within each of these regions is included in Appendix B.
*These grain yields compare favorably with optimum yields for
productive parts of the U.S. Corn Belt.
**Silage yields are difficult'to appraise because of the unreliable
Soviet methods for calculating yields. The optimum silage yield that
was selected as the standard is 2.3 times the average U.S. silage
yield between 1951 and 1954 or 203 centners per hectare (V.V. Matskevich
p. 65).
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A. Southwestern Region* -
Long a center of corn cultivation, this region not only accounted
for a large percentage of the entire Soviet corn crop in the past but
also had a considerable increase in its corn acreage under the current
agricultural program. During the 1955-56 period the region accounted
for about 37 percent of the total corn acreage and about 62 percent
of the corn grown as grain. In 1956, more than 5,800,000 hectares
were planted to corn as grain, a 73 percent increase over 1950. This
sharp increase in corn planting was achieved at the expense of fallow-
land and other grain crops, principally winter wheat.
Climatic conditions favor intensive cultivation of corn (Figure
5). Thermal conditions become increasingly favorable from northwest
Figure 5. Cornfield in Ukrainian SSSR between
Zaporozh'ye and Kar'khov.
to southeast -- average July temperatures increase from 18.8?C
(65.8?F) at Lutsk to 23.7?C (74.6?F) at Rostov-na-Donu. The number
of frostless days range from 122 days in the Transcarpathian region
*This region includes the administrative units of the Moldavian
and Ukrainian Republics as well as the western half of Rostovskaya
Oblast' as delimited in 1958, where the greater part of the corn
production is concentrated.
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to 212 days in southern Zaporozhskaya Oblast'. Except in the Carpathian
region, however, precipitation decreases to the south and southeast --
toward the southern Ukraine and eastern Rostovskaya Oblast' -- during
the critical growth period of corn. Precipitation during the June-
August period ranges from more than 230 millimeters (9 inches)in the
northwestern part of the Ukraine to less than 100 millimeters (3.9
inches) adjacent to and in the steppe region of the Crimean Peninsula.
Droughts are common in both the southern coastal region of the Ukraine
and eastern Rostovskaya Oblast', but irrigation is used in these areas
to supplement the scant precipitation.
The parts of the region most favorable climatically for the
production of corn as grain are the Carpathian piedmont, the northern
half of the Moldavian Republic, and an area extending through southern
Vinnitskaya, northern Kirovogradskaya, southern Poltavskaya, and central
Khar'kovskaya Oblasts. Except in the alpine regions of the Carpathians,
average-maturing varieties of corn ripen in all areas south of a line
drawn through Lvov, Kamenets-Podol'skyy, Uman', Poltava, and_Khar'kov.
Late-maturing varieties ripen in nearly all of the southern half of
the Ukraine, Moldavia and Rostovskaya Oblast'.
The northwestern part of the Ukraine also ranks as one of the
best silage-producing areas in the Soviet Union. Nearly all of the
Southwestern Region receives enough heat to produce good-quality
silage, since average-maturing varieties generally reach the milk-wax
stage throughout the area. Late-maturing varieties reach this stage
of ripeness in the southern three-fifths of the region.
B. Caucasus Region*
Despite the preponderance of mountainous terrain, the Caucasus
Region yields a significant part of the total Soviet grain-corn
production. During the 1955-56 period, it accounted for about 10
percent of the total Soviet corn acreage and about 18 percent of the
corn grown for grain. In the favorable piedmont and subtropical
regions, cultivation is more intensive than in any other part of the
USSR. In Northern Osetinskaya ASSR, over 42 percent of the cereal-grain
area was devoted to corn in 1956, and in parts of the Georgian Republic
the corn acreage amounted to 90 percent of the sown area.
*This region includes the Soviet administrative units of Armyanskaya
SSR, Azerbaydzhanskaya SSR, Dagestanskaya ASSR, Kabardino-Balkarskaya
ASSR, Krasnodarskiy Kray, Northern Osetinskaya ASSR, Checheno-Ingushskaya
ASSR and the corn-producing areas of southern Stavropol'skiy Kray and
southern Gruzinskaya SSR.
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Thermal conditions in the region are excellent for the production
of all varieties of corn. The frost-free season varies from about
170 days on the northern piedmont to more than 300 days in the Georgian
lowlands. Precipitation, also, is favorable. Rainfall during the
critical June-August period varies from 250 to 560 millimeters (9.8
to 22 inches) in the Georgian SSR, from 200 to 250 millimeters (7.9
to 9.8 inches) in the northern piedmont areas, and from 150 to 200
millimeters (5.9 to 7.9 inches) in the remainder of the region. In
the Kura River lowland and the Pre-Caspian lowland; precipitation is
insufficient for corn growing, and drought conditions are common along
the northeastern margin of the region.
Any further increase in corn acreages in the Caucasus Region
will require extension into the less humid steppe regions, chiefly
in the northern parts of Krasnodarskiy Kray and Stavropol'skiy Kray
and in much of Dagestanskaya ASSR. Here, increased irrigation will
be needed to offset the lack of precipitation.
C. Baltic-Belorussian Region*
Corn is a relatively new crop in this region, and its production
has remained very low. In the 1955-56 period the Baltic-Belorussian
Region accounted for slightly more than 3 percent of the total Soviet
corn acreage, with more than 92 percent of this planted for fodder or
silage.
Despite the favorable precipitation and long growing season,
temperatures are not high enough to ripen corn. The frost-free
season varies from about 125 days in northern Estonia to 185 days
in Kaliningradskaya Oblast'. Average July temperatures exceed 18?C
(61+.4+?F) in parts of the Lithuanian-Belorussian Upland but fall
below 17?C (62.6?F) in the cooler parts of northern Latvia and
Estonia. During the critical June-August period, precipitation
varies from less than 200 millimeters (7.9 inches) in the western
parts of Lithuania, Latvia, and northern Estonia to more than 250
millimeters (9.8 inches) in the Lithuanian-Belorussian Upland. Most
of the region receives 200 to 250 millimeters (7.9 to 9.8 inches)
during the June-August period.
Thermal conditions are adequate for producing corn as fodder
or silage only, since only the southern margin of the Belorussian
Republic is hot enough to ripen even the early-maturing varieties.
*This region includes the Soviet administrative units of the
Lithuanian, Latvian, Estonian, and Belorussian Republics as well
as Kaliningradskaya Oblast' of the RSFSR.
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In the extreme southern part of the region, average-maturing varieties
reach the milk-wax stage, but in the southern half of Kaliningradskaya
Oblast' and in the Lithuanian and Belorussian Republics only the
early-maturing varieties reach the milk-wax stage of ripeness. North
of a line through central Latvia corn can be grown for fodder only,
since it does not mature much beyond the tasseling stage.
D. North European Region*
This region, the northern-most region of corn cultivation in
European USSR, accounted for 7 percent of the total corn acreage
and about 13 percent of the corn planted for fodder or silage during
the 1955-56 period. The greatest production is concentrated in the
southern part of the region from the Smolensk-Moscow Ridge eastward
to the Pre-Volga Upland. The northern boundary of the region marks
the northernmost extent of feasible corn cultivation.
Climatic conditions for corn cultivation deteriorate rapidly
as one progresses northward, mainly because of the unfavorable thermal
conditions. The frost-free season ranges from about 150 days in
Ryazanskaya Oblast' to about 100 days in the northern half of Kirovskaya
Oblast'. Average July temperatures decrease from southeast to
northwest -- exceeding 19?C (66.2?F) in Ryazanskaya Oblast' and
Chuvashskaya ASSR, but falling below 17?C (62.6?F) in the northwestern
part of the region in Novgorodskaya, Pskovskaya, Vologodskaya, and
Leningradskaya Oblasts. Precipitation during the critical growth
period of corn -- from June through August -- increases to the northwest,
with the highest precipitation received in the Valday Hills where it
ranges from 250 to 285 millimeters (9.8 to 11.2 inches) during the
June-August period. Northwest of a line drawn roughly between Tula
and Kirov, rainfall exceeds 200 millimeters (7.9 inches), and southeast
of this line it ranges from about 175 to 200 millimeters (6.8 to 7.9
inches).
The North European Region is suitable only for the production
of silage and fodder, since the grain cannot be relied upon to ripen
at these latitudes. A small area, principally eastern Ryazanskaya
Oblast' and the southern part of Chuvashskaya ASSR, receive qnough
heat to produce high quality silage, early-maturing varieties of corn
reach the milk-wax stage. South of a line roughly connecting Velikiye
*This region includes the Vladimirskaya, Gor'kovskaya, Ivanovskaya,
Kalininskaya, Kaluzhskaya, Krostromskaya, Moskovskaya, Ryazanskaya,
Smolenskaya, Tul'skaya, Yaroslavskaya, Leningradskaya, Novgorodskaya,
Pskovskaya Oblasts; Mariyskaya and Chuvashskaya ASSR's, as well as
the southern half of Vologodskaya, Kirovskaya, and Permskaya Oblasts.
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Luki, Smolensk, Kaluga, Vladimir, and Yoshkar-Ola, late-maturing
varieties reach the tasseling stage, at which corn is suitable for
green fodder. North of this line only the lower-yielding, average-
and early-maturing varieties develop to the tasseling stage. The
value of corn grown along the northern margin of this region is
extremely questionable, since none but the early varieties reach
tasseling stage so far north. Also, the low temperatures common at
the begin;aing of the growing season retard germination, which subjects
the plant to attack by parasite and insect pests.
E. Central Chernozem Region*
This region in central European USSR accounted for about 9
percent of the total Soviet acreage in the 1955-56 period, with 62
percent of the acreage harvested for fodder or silage. Climatic
conditions are relatively favorable for the production of silage.
Thermal conditions become increasingly favorable to the southeast.
Average July temperatures range from about 18?C (64.l-?F) in northern
Bryanskaya Oblast' to more than 21?C (69.8?F) in the southeastern
part of Voronezhskaya Oblast'. The length of the growing season
varies from 135 days in northern Penzenskaya Oblast' to about 165
days in the southeastern part of the region. During the June-August
period, precipitation ranges from slightly less than 150 millimeters
(5.9 inches) in the southeastern Voronezhskaya Oblast' to about 240
millimeters (9.1 inches) in western Bryanskaya Oblast'.
The Central Chernozem Region is most favorable for the production
of silage, but average-maturing varieties will ripen fully in the
southern half of Belgorodskaya and Voronezhskaya Oblasts. In the
greater part of Kurskaya, Belgorodskaya, Voronezhskaya, and Tambovskaya
Oblasts, average-maturing varieties reach the milk-wax stage; but in
most of the remainder of the region only the early-maturing varieties
reach this stage. All varieties reach the tasseling stage, at which
corn is suitable for green fodder.
F. Volga-Ural Region**
Situated along the Lower Volga and the western flank of the
Urals, this region accounted for about 13 percent of the total Soviet
corn production during the 1955-56 period, with 80 percent of the corn
grown for silage and fodder. In the Urals, corn growing is limited
*This region embraces all the Oblasts and the Mordovskaya ASSR
in the Central Chernozem Region in addition to Bryanskaya Oblast'.
**This region includes northeastern Stavropol'skiy Kray;
Stalingradskaya, Saratovskaya, Ul'yanovskaya, Kuybyshevskaya,
Orenburgskaya Oblasts; Tatarskaya and Bashkirskaya ASSR's; as well
as the northern fringe of Zapadno-Kazakhstanskaya, and Aktyubinskaya
Oblasts in western Kazakhstan.
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by the rugged terrain and the cool climate; whereas, in the Lower
Volga region to the southwest, corn production is restricted by scant
precipitation, a high frequency of drought, and occasional dessicating
winds during the period of critical vegetative growth. The length of
the frost-free season varies considerably within the region -- from
more than 150 days south of Saratovskaya Oblast' to less than 110
days in the Urals. Average July temperatures range from 25?C (77?F)
along the Lower Volga to slightly less than 18?C (6l-.l-?F) in the Urals.
In the most productive area, temperatures range between 19?C and 22?C
(66.2? and 71.6?F).
Precipitation during the critical June-August period is adequate
in the northern part of the region -- Ul'yanovskaya Oblast', Tatarskaya
ASSR, and Bashkirskaya ASSR -- where it exceeds 150 millimeters (5.9
inches). In western Saratovskaya Oblast' and the greater part of
Kuybyshevskaya and Orenburgskaya Oblasts, however, precipitation is
less favorable, ranging from 100 to 150 millimeters (3.9 to 5.9 inches)
during the critical growth period. To the east and south of Saratov,
corn cultivation becomes precarious because of frequent droughts and
dessicating winds, such as occurred in 1957. Nearly all of the
Volga-Ural Region is subject to drought about 4 years in 10, but
irrigation is used in the Lower Volga-Lower Don area to supplement
the precarious rainfall.
The Volga-Ural Region is suitable for growth of corn as either
grain or silage. South of the latitude of Saratov (52?N) average-
maturing varieties ripen as grain. In the greater part of Saratovskaya,
Kuybyshevskaya, and Orenburgskaya Oblasts the relatively high yielding,
average-maturing varieties reach the milk-wax stage of development,
but in the more northern areas corn production is limited largely to
fodder, since it does not develop much beyond the tasseling stage.
G. Kazakh-West Siberian Region*
The Kazakh-West Siberian Region is predominently an undulating
plain which extends eastward from the Urals to the Kuznetskiy Altay.
The northern boundary of the region marks the northernmost limit of
corn growing as determined by thermal conditions; the southern boundary
of corn growing, on the other hand, is the limit of moisture adequacy.
The low temperatures of the region limit corn production mainly to
silage and fodder, but in the 1955-56 period the region accounted
for 14 percent of the total Soviet corn acreage.
*This region includes Sverdlovskaya and Chelyabinskaya Oblasts,
the southern corn-growing regions of West Siberia, as well as the
corn-growing areas of Northern Kazakhstan east of Aktyubinskaya Oblast'.
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Climatic conditions in the Kazakh-West Siberian Region tend to
restrict the corn-producing area. Toward the north the thermal
conditions deteriorate sharply; and toward the south the precipitation
is scant, and hot, dry winds, and drought are frequent. The frost-free
season is 110 to 120 days long throughout most of the region. Average
July temperatures vary from about 22?C (71.6?F) in vicinity of
Semipalatinsk to about 17.5?C (63.5?F) along the northern margin of
the region. During the critical June-August period, precipitation
.ranges from 150 to 200 millimeters (5.9 to 7.9 inches) in most of
West Siberia, and from 100 to 150 millimeters (3.9 to 5.9 inches) in
northern Kazakhstan and the western part of Altayskiy Kray.
The region is best suited to the production of green fodder;
but along the southern margins of the region the thermal conditions
are adequate to ripen early-maturing varieties of corn. In most
parts of West Siberia that have sufficient precipitation, corn does
not mature much beyond the tasseling stage. The best silage-producing
area is the Kulunda Steppe, where both early- and average-maturing
varieties reach the milk-wax stage. The Kustany and Akmolinsk regions
of northern Kazakhstan receive enough heat to produce silage, but
rainfall becomes increasingly precarious to the south. Expansion of
corn acreages in the Pavlodar-Semipalatinsk area will depend upon
the development of irrigation along the Irtysh River.
H. South Siberian-Far East Region*
This region contains relatively few areas suitable for corn
growing. During the 1955-56 period, it accounted for only 3 percent
of the total Soviet corn acreage, with most of the crop grown for
silage. Production was centered mainly in the southern part of
Krasnoyarskiy Kray and Irkutskaya Oblast'.
Climatic conditions restrict corn production largely to silage
and fodder. The growing season is relatively short in East Siberia;
about 100 days in the Minusinsk lowland, 98 days at Irkutsk, and 100
days at Chita. In the Soviet Far East, however, the growing season
is considerably more favorable -- ranging from about 100 days in the
Zeya River valley to about 150 days in the Ussuri River valley. The
average July temperatures of the region are adequate for corn
production -- 20.1?C (68.2?F) at Minusinsk, 19?C (66.2?F) at Yakutsk,
18.7?C (65.6?F) at Chita, and 20.2?C (68.4+?F) at Khabarovsk. Accumu-
lative temperatures during the growing season, however, are relatively
low. Precipitation during the June-August period ranges from favorable
*This region embraces the southern parts of East Siberia and
the Soviet Far East where the corn cultivation is concentrated.
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to excessive -- from 137 millimeters (5.l+ inches) at Ulan-Ude to
more than 300 millimeters (11.8 inches) in most of the Soviet Far
East.
Despite the general adequacy of precipitation, the ruggedness
of the terrain and unfavorable thermal conditions restrict the extent
of corn cultivation. Only scattered areas are suitable for the
production of good-quality silage. These areas are located in the
Upper Amur-Ussuri River valleys in the southern part of the Soviet
Far East, where average-maturing varieties of corn reach the milk-wax
stage. Average-maturing varieties reach the tasseling or green-fodder
stage, in the Minusinsk lowland, in the Upper Angara River region,
in the Chita and Ulan-Ude areas east of Lake Baykal, and in nearly
all of the Upper Amur-Ussuri River basin.
I. Central Asian Region*
Situated on the flank of the Pamir Mountains, the Central
Asian Region depends primarily on irrigation for its corn production.
The region included only 3 percent of the total Soviet acreage during
the 1955-56 period, but the fertile alluvial soils and long, hot
growing season are conducive to high yields where irrigation is
practiced (Figure 6). The greater part of the corn acreage is along
the piedmont of the Kirgiz and Zeravashan Ranges, in the Fergana
Valley, along the flood plains of the Syr-Dar'ya, Amu-Dar'ya, Chu,
and Ili Rivers.
Thermal conditions are relatively favorable for corn growth;
but at the peak of the growing season (during flowering and silking)
the excessive daytime temperatures coupled with hot, dry winds from
the desert may dessicate the corn plant. The long growing season --
163 days at Kzyl-Orda and 234 days at Namangan -- permits the
very-late-maturing, high-yielding varieties to be grown for grain
or silage. In some parts of the region, corn can be grown for green
fodder or silage as a second crop, following early vegetables or
grains. Outside of the Alma-Ata-Frunze region, precipitation is
extremely low. Increases in corn acreages, therefore, will be
predicated on the extension of irrigation.
*Statistically this region includes parts of the Turkmen,
Uzbek, Tadzhik, Kirgiz Republics, and the southern tier of oblasts
in the southern part of Kazakhstan.
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a
in
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33
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and the Caucasus; (2) expansion of acreages in areas of marginal
precipitation and drought in the southern Ukraine, the Lower Don--
Southern Urals region and parts of Central Asia, all of which have
sizeable areas under irrigation; and (3) considerable extension of
corn production for fodder and silage into the European USSR north
of 52?N. In the well established corn regions, increased acreages
have been achieved at the expense of fallow land and other grain
crops, principally winter wheat. The reduction in the acreages of
other cereal. grains, however, is being offset to some extent by-their
increased production in the New Lands Area of Northern Kazakhstan and
West Siberia.
The current Corn Program has not introduced any radical shifts
in the location of production, but rather has extended corn cultivation
along the northern periphery of the old, established corn regions
with the emphasis on fodder and silage. The most favorable regions
for the production of corn as grain remain unchanged. The established
grain-corn regions are also the regions most favorable for the growth
of corn for silage. Among the regions capable of producing high
silage yields are northern Moldavia, the northwestern and northern
parts of the Ukraine, and the southwestern part of the Central
Chernozem Region.
The Soviets are heavily committed to the Corn Program, particularly
since it plays a key role in their even more ambitious livestock and
dairy programs. The 1960 plans for corn production call for 28 million
hectares of corn land, a 53 percent increase over the 1957 total. This
planned acreage, though possibly attainable, is unrealistic since it
necessitates further expansion into areas of increasingly marginal
thermal and precipitation conditions. In such areas, corn yields can
be expected to fluctuate sharply with the caprices of the weather --
which apparently were responsible for mediocre yields in the 1956-1957
seasons. Furthermore, many of these areas can produce only the
low-yielding, early-maturing varieties of corn.
The greater part of future expansion in corn acreages will be
for the production of fodder and silage. The most critical feed-
consumming region of the country is the central part of European
USSR and the Baltic-Belorussian Region. Here the fodder demands of
the livestock and dairy industry are particularly high; but thermal
conditions are limited, and only the early-maturing varieties of
corn can be expected to ripen sufficiently for silage. Fodder and
silage production also become increasingly precarious in the less
humid southeastern areas that extend from the Lower Don region eastward
through northern Kazakhstan. Any increases in corn growing to the
southeast will depend largely on the extremes to which the Soviets
are willing to go to achieve regional self-sufficiency in fodder and
grain production.
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 Approved For Release 2000/05/30 : CIA-RDP79-01009AO02100070008-4
GROUPS OF SPECIFIC VARIETIES OF CORN GROWN IN THE USSR
ACCORDING TO RATE OF MATURING
a. Beloyarnoye Psheno
b. Kazanskaya 108
c. Slavgorodskaya 270
d. Chishminskaya 1
a. Spasovskaya
b. Bezenchukskaya 41
c. Voronezhskaya 76
d. Chakinskaya Zhemchuzhina
e. Severodakotskaya (North Dakota)
a. Hybrid Donskoy
b. Hybrid Bukovinskiy 1
c. Khar'kovskaya 23 .
d. Belaya Zybovidnaya Khar'kovskaya
e. Dnepropetrovskaya
1. AVERAGE
a. Hybrid VIR-25
b. Minnezota 13 Ekstra (Minnesota 13 Extra)
c. Hybrid Uspekh
d. Hybrid VIR-42
a. Hybrid Krasnodarskiy 4+
b. Hybrid VIR-50
c. Sterling
d. Hybrid Krasnodarskiy 1/49
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 Approved For Release 2000/05/30 : CIA-RDP79-01009AO02100070008-4
APPENDIX B
CLIMATIC DATA FOR GROWING SEASON
Southwestern Region
Stations
L'vov Kishinev Kiev Kharkov Rostov
49?50'N 47002'N 50?27'N 50?04'N 47?13'N
Climatic Factors 24?O1'E 28?50'E 30?30'E 36?09'E 39?43'E
Frost-free period
Average
First date
15 Apr
---
23 Apr
3 May
13 Apr
Last date
19 Oct
---
13 Oct
2 Oct
14 Oct
Duration (in days)
186
---
172
151
184
Extreme*
First date
12 May
---
15 May
2 Jun
9 Y
Last date
21 Sep
---
23 Sep
1 Sep
19 Sep
Shortest (in days)
145
---
146
113
154
Period with average
temperatures above 10?C
First date
26 Apr
20 Apr
28 Apr
26 Apr
19 Apr
Last date
7 Oct
16 Oct
3 Oct
6 Oct
15 Oct
Duration (in days)
165
180
159
164
180
Sums of temperatures of
all days with average
temp eratures above 10?C
2600
3100
2600
2600
3300
Average temperatures
April
7.5
9.0
6.8
7.0
9.0
May
13.3
15.5
14.5
14.3
16.8
June
17.0
19.3
17.4
18.1
20.7
July
18.8
21.9
19.2
20.3
23.7
August
17.9
22.1
18.2
18.9
22.8
September
13.8
16.2
13.6
13.2
16.5
October
8.8
10.3
7.2
7.0
9.8
Average precipitation
April
46
31
46
33
35
May
65
51
51
41
44
June
107
69
74
71
66
July
104
61
79
69
52
August
71
41
56
51
32
September
53
32
46
31
32
October
51
28
48
41
35
Total: June-August
282
171
209
191
150
*Extreme dates of first and last frost do not generally occur in
the same year.
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 Approved For Release 2000/05/30 : CIA-RDP79-01009AO02100070008-4
Caucasus Region
Stations
Climatic Factors
Krasnodar
45?02'N
38?56'E
Sochi
43034tN
39?461E
Kislovodsk
43?54'N
42?42'E
Tbilisi
41?43'N
44?48'E
Frost-free period
Average
First date
13 Apr
26 Feb
22 Apr
22 Mar
Last date
21 Oct
12 Dec
9 Oct
14 Nov
Duration (in days)
190
288
169
236
Extreme
First date
23 May
5 Apr
6 May
27 Apr
Last date
21 Sep
2 Nov
6 Sep
20 Oct
Shortest (in days)
132
238
11+0
---
Period with average
temperatures above 10?C
First date
12 Apr
28 Mar
30 Apr
4 Apr
Last date
27 Oct
30 Nov
8 Oct
3 Nov
Duration (in days)
199
248
162
214
Sums of. temperatures of
all days with average
temperatures above 10?C
3600
4400
2600
4000
Average temperatures
April
10.6
11.3
7.2
11.9
May
16.7
15.4
13.1
17.0
June
20.4
19.3
16.5
20.8
July
2 3.7
22.3
19.1
21+ .1
August
22.9
22.8
18.8
24.0
September
17.6
19.4
13.8
19.3
October
12.2
16.3
8.7
13.7
Average precipitation
April
42
97
46
58
May
64
74
103
9o
June
64
84
112
80
July
57
101
96
47
August
56
71
68
36
September
42
148
48
44
October
54
117
26
43
Total: .June-August
177
256
276
163
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 Approved For Release 2000/05/30 : CIA-RDP79-01009AO02100070008-4
Baltic-Belorussian Region
Frost-free period
Average
First date
Last date
Duration (in days)
Extreme
First date
Last date
Shortest (in days)
Period with average
temperatures above 10?C
First date
Last date
Duration (in days)
Sums of temperatures of
all days. with average
temperatures above 10?C
Average temperatures
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
Average precipitation
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
Total: June-August
Kaliningrad
54?43'N
20?3O'E
Wilno
54?41'N
25?18'E
Tartu
58?23'N
26?43'E
Pinsk
52?071N
26?06'E
Mogilev
53?54'N
30?20'E
21 Apr
1 May
8 May
23 Apr
3 May
24 Oct
13 Oct
3 Oct
8 Oct
30 Sep
185
164
147
168
149
15 May
26 May
29 May
23 May
24 May
3 Oct
19 Sep
7 Sep
11 Sep
5 Sep
153
115
111
118
---
9 may
2 Oct
147
4May
27 Sep
147
15 May
18 Sep
127
3 May
25 Sep
146
2200
1800
2300
5.8
6.0
3.7
6.9
5.3
11.8
12.8
10.4
13.8
12.8
15.5
16.1
14.5
17.6
16.1
17.5
18.1
17.1
19.0
18.0
16.2
16.6
15.0
17.7
16.4
12.8
12.2
10.5
13.1
11.5
7.7
6.6
4.9
7.0
5.4
38
38
35
49
46
48
59
55
51
63
62
65
65
77
80
83
l06
83
94
73
85
87
86
57
79
76
57
74
46
59
60
54
61
40
59
230
258
234
228
232
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 Approved For Release 2000/05/30 : CIA-RDP79-01009AO02100070008-4
North European Region
Stations
Velikiye
Vologda
Luki
56021'N
Molochnoye
59?18'N
Tula
54012'N
Gor'kiy
560201N
Perm'
58001'N
Climatic Factors
30?31'E
39?4O'E
37?35'E
44?00'E
56?16'E
Frost-free period
Average
First date
7 May
21 May
10 May
8 May
23 May
Last date
29 Sep
17 Sep
28 Sep
30 Sep
19 Sep
Duration (in days)
144
118
140
144
118
Extreme
First date
2 Jun
18 Jun
10 Jun
4 Jun
7 Jun
Last date
13 Sep
15 Aug
1 Sep
4 Sep
25 Aug
Shortest (in days)
92
72
105
121
93
Period with average
temperatures above 10?C
First date
3 May
16 May
4 May
8 May
15 May
Last date
20 Sep
10 Sep
21 Sep
17 Sep
11 Sep
Duration (in days)
139
116
139
131
118
Sums of temperatures of
all days with average
temperatures above 100C
2019
1675
2192
1997
1791
Average temperatures
April
4.6
2.4
4.2
3.0
2.2
May
11.9
9.8
12.7
11.6
10.0
June
15.4
14.5
16.5
15.8
15.6
July
17.7
17.1
18.6
18.1
18.0
August
15.7
14+.6
16.8
16.2
15.3
September
10.8
9.0
11.3
10.4
9.2
October
5.1
2.7
4.9
3.2
1.6
Average precipitation
April
31
29
33
29
28
May
47
48
48
40
51
June
72
67
63
61
66
July
84
71
78
74
79
August
82
69
55
58
72
September
51
65
48
59
64
October
43
48
44
51
53
Total: June-August
238
207
196
193
217
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 Approved For Release 2000/05/30 : CIA-RDP79-01009AO02100070008-4
Central Chernozem Region
Stations
Climatic Factors
Kursk
51?45'N
36?12'E
Tambov
52?44'N
41?28'E
Uryupinsk
50?48'N
42?03'E
Penza
53?13TN
44?57'E
Novozybkov
52?31'N
31?5 'E
Frost-free period
Average
First date
29 Apr
7 May
25 Apr
8 May
30 Apr
Last date
9 Oct
1 Oct
5 Oct
27 Sep
6 Oct
Duration (in days)
162
146
163
141
158
Extreme
First date
29 May
1 Jun
17 May
5 Jun
30 May
Last date
22 Sep
5 Sep
26 Sep
1 Sep
11 Sep
Shortest (in days)
122
111
129
105
116
Period with average
temperatures above 10?C
First date
29 Apr
29 Apr
24 Apr
1 May
29 Apr
Last date
26 Sep
24 Sep
2 Oct
20 Sep
26 Sep
Duration (in days)
149
147
160
141
149
Sums of temperatures of
all days with average
temperatures above 10?C
2395
2435
2799
2231
2246
Average temperatures
April
5.4
5.1
6.7
4.1
5.1
Iay
13.8
14.1
15.5
13.2
13.1
June
16.9
17.8
19.1
17.1
16.0
July
19.0
20.0
21.6
19.4
18.2
August
17.8
18.1
19.7
17.3
16.6
September
12.2
12.0
13.7
11.2
11.7
October 5.8 5.2 6.6 4.4 5.9
Average precipitation
April
42
32
23
28
41
May
54
44
33
49
49
June
75
51
58
58
69
July
72
50
53
62
90
August
56
48
46
54
65
September
43
46
34
44
49
October
47
45
33
46
45
Total: June-August
203
149
157
174
224
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 Approved For Release 2000/05/30 : CIA-RDP79-01009AO02100070008-4
Volga--Ural Region
Stations
Kazan' Ufa Bezenchuk Orenburg
55?47'N 54045'N 52?59'N 51?45'N
Climatic Factors 49?08'E 56000'E 49?29'E 55?o6'E
Frost-free period
Average
First date
3 May
6 May
6 May
4 May
Last date
2 Oct
28 Sep
25 Sep
29 Sep
Duration (in days)
151
144
141
147
Extreme
First date
1 Jun
2 Jun
5 Jun
4 Jun
Last date
8 Sep
1 Sep
6 Sep
7 Sep
Shortest (in days)
120
112
101
114
Period with average
temperatures above 10?C
First date
2 May
4 May
29 Apr
30 Apr
Last date
21 Sep
20 Sep
25 Sep
27 Sep
Duration (in days)
141
138
148
149
Sums of temperatures of
all days with average
temperatures above 10?C
2285
2202
2568
2679
Average temperatures
April
3.1
3.3
4.5
4.3
May
12.1
12.6
14.3
14.7
June
17.4
17.5
18.8
19.7
July
19.4
19.4
21.4
22.0
August
17.2
17.1
19.2
19.8
September
10.5
11.1
12.5
13.1
October
2.8
3.1
4.6
4.7
Average precipitation
April
26
28
23
21
May
34
42
36
36
June
57
60
41
45
July
52
69
40
37
August
49
51
43
32
September
47
46
38
26
October
43
53
35
31
Total: June-August
158
180
124
114
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 Approved For Release 2000/05/30 : CIA-RDP79-01009AO02100070008-4
Stations
Kustanay
Akmolinsk
Omsk Kamen'-na-Obi
?
'
?
'
56
27
N
46
N
53
71?25'E
73?23'E
81?20'E
84??9'E
87?11'E
Average
First date
13 May
28 May
25 May
26 May
20 May
Iast date
21 Sep
19 Sep
19 Sep
16 Sep
20 Sep
Duration (in days)
129
115
118
114
122
Extreme
First date
3 Jun
13 Jun
30 Jun
13 Jun
19 Jun
last date
26 Aug
27 Aug
28 Aug
19 Aug
5 Sep
Shortest (in days)
87
9o
89
86
77
Period with average
temperatures above 10?C
First date
7 May
8 May
13 May
24 May
17 May
Last date
22 Sep
20 Sep
17 Sep
11 Sep
17 Sep
Duration (in days)
139
134
126
log
122
Sums of temperatures of
all days with average
temperatures above 10?C
2200
April
0.7
0.8
-0.1
0.0
-0.6
0.8
May
13.0
13.2
10.4
10.8
8.4
9.9
June
17.3
18.6
16.2
17.3
15.3
16.7
July
19.9
21.1
18.4
19.2
18.1
19.0
August
18.o
18.5
15.5
16.7
15.8
16.6
September
11.2
11.8
10.0
lo.6
9.2
10.3
October
2.2
2.2
1.2.
1.9
0.6
1.5
April
15
17
17
14
27
28
May
28
24
28
27
46
53
June
37
40
56
46
66
69
July
48
47
70
65
77
63
August
34
34
53
48
71
71
September
25
24
34
33
48
51
October
26
24
22
26
48
38
Total: June-August
119
121
179
159
214
203
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 Approved For Release 2000/05/30 : CIA-RDP79-01009AO02100070008-4
South Siberian--Far East Region
Stations
Minusinsk
Kansk
Chita
Blagoveshchensk
53?42'N
56?12'N
52?03'N
50?10'N
Climatic Factors 91?42'E
95o41'E
113?29'E
127?38'E
Frost-free period
Average
First date 24 May
27 May
3 Jun
9 May
Last date 13 Sep
13 Sep
4 Sep
28 Sep
Duration (in days) 113
108
94
141
Extreme
First date 19 Jun
14 Jun
22 Jun
22 May
Last date 29 Aug
22 Aug
7 Aug
13 Sep
Shortest (in days) 78
84
64
126
Period with average
temperatures above 10?C
First date
13 May
21 May
24 May
15 May
Last date
14 Sep
10 Sep
9 Sep
22 Sep
Duration (in days)
123
111
107
129
Sums of temperatures of
all days with average
temperatures above 10?C
2100
1800
1700
2300
Average temperatures
April
2.2
-0.1
0.0
2.3
May
10.1
8.6
7.9
10.3
June
17.3 -
16.0
15.8
17.3
July
20.1
19.0
18.8
21.2
August
17.2
16.0
15.3
18.8
September
10.1
8.8
8.2
12.1
October
1.0
-0.8
-1.8
2.3
Average precipitation
April
14
13
10
20
May
33
31
28
41
June
54
43
51
84
July
59
56
94
124
August
57
56
94
117
September
35
36
36
69
October
18
23
10
20
Total: June-August
170
155
239
325
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 Approved For Release 2000/05/30 : CIA-RDP79-01009AO02100070008-4
Central Asia Region
Climatic Factors
Frost-free period
Average
First date
Last date
Duration (in days)
Extreme
First date
Last date
Shortest (in days)
Period with average
temperatures above 10?C
First date
Last date
Duration (in days)
Tashkent
Namangan
Al.~a-Ata
41020'N
41000I N
13 16'N
?
69?18'E
71?41TE
76
53'E
31 Mar
l~ Mar
18 Mar
24 Oct
5 Nov
9 Oct
206
234
173
28 Apr
21 Mar
8 May
3 Oct
23
Oct
Sep
19
167
2
26
1
1+8
27 Mar 21+ Mar 17 Apr
27 Oct 26 Oct 5 Oct
213 215 170
Sums of tem ep ratures of
all days with average
1
000
temperatures above 10?C 4300
-00
1-
3
Average temperatures
April
11+.3
16.0
9.6
May
19.9
21.2
15.4
June
24.7
25.2
19.6
July
26.8
26.5
22.1
August
24.6
21+.8
20.8
September
19.1
20.2
15.3
October
12.1
13.0
7.2
Average precipitation
April
51
20
97
May
29
20
9o
June
12
8
60
3
8
35
July
August
1
3
29
September
5
5
27
October
26
20
49
1
Total: June-August
16
19
12
+-
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 Approved For Release 2000/05/30 : CIA-RDP79-01009AO02100070008-4
GAPS IN INTELLIGENCE
Adequate information was lacking for a number of the phases of
the Soviet Corn Program, despite the voluminous amount of literature
that has been written on the subject. Detailed statistical data
were lacking on the specific geographic distribution of corn and
on the relative proportions of plains, rolling and hilly lands, or
the individual soil types devoted to the crop. Reliable statistics
concerning the corn area harvested and yields were also lacking.
Such information would have made possible a better evaluation of the
Soviet Corn Program.
Information on many climatic factors was meager. No data were
available on the frequency or intensity of droughts for some parts
of the corn-growing area, and no information at all is available on
evaporation-transpiration rates. The climatic requirements and
limitations of the corn plant are far from complete. Especially
needed is fuller information on the complex relationship between
climatic factors and plant development, particularly in respect to
yields.
-45-
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 Approved For Release 2000/05/30 : CIA-RDP79-01009AO02100070008-4
SOURCE REFERENCES
The sources used for this study were extensive but spotty in
topical and regional coverage. Nearly all the information was
derived from unclassified sources -- primarily Soviet and U.S.
scientific texts, periodicals, and maps -- but some intelligence
reports and documents also proved useful.
The list of sources given is selective and does not include
all the individual items used for background information. Among
those omitted were some general articles in Soviet and U.S. newspapers
and periodicals, FBIS reports, and FDD summaries. Because of the
propaganda value attached to the Soviet Corn Program, all accounts
of it had to be carefully screened and compared with others in order
to determine their accuracy.
The sources used in this study are generally reliable, as of
the date of publication. Soviet books and periodicals dealing with
subjects of an academic nature were generally found to be free of
"ideological bias." Press and radio reports, however, contained
many accounts of doubtful reliability and were carefully screened
before any data they contained was incorporated into the report.
1. Agriculture. "Influence of Climate and Weather on Growth of
Corn," by Merle T. Jenkins, 19+1 Yearbook of Agriculture, 1941,
p. 308-319, U.
2. Alisov, B. P. Klimaticheskiye Oblasti i Rayony SSSR (Climatic
Provinces and Regions in the USSR), Moscow, Gosudarstvennoye
Izdatel'stvo Geograficheskoy Literatury, 1947, 208 pp, U.
3. Andrew, R. H., F. P. Ferwerda, and A. M. Strommen. "Maturation
and Yield of Corn as Influenced by Climate and Production
Technique," Agronomy Journal, v. 48, no. 5, May 56, p. 231-236,
U.
4+. Archimowitsch, Alexander. "The Soviet Corn Problem," Bulletin
of the Institute for the Study of the USSR, v. IV, no. 12,
December 57, U-
5. Balashev, N. and A. Below. Kukuruza i Sorgo (Corn and Sorghum),
Tashkent, Gosudarstvennoye Izdatel'stvo Uzbekskoy SSR, 1955,
51 pp, U.
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 Approved For Release 2000/05/30 : CIA-RDP79-01009AO02100070008-4
6. Budyko, M. I., ed. A. I. Voyeykov i Sovremennye Problemy
Klimatolo ii (A. I. Voyeykov and Contemporary Problems of
Climatology), Leningrad, Gidrometeorologicheskoye Izdatel'stvo,
1956, 282 pp, U.
25X1A
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Agricultural Delegation on its Trip to the United States and
Canada in 1955," 220 pp, OFF USE ONLY.
10. Drozdov, N. A. Kukuruza v Severo-Za adno Zone SSR (Corn in
the Northwest Zone of the USSR , Moscow Leningrad, Gosudars'cvennoye
Izdatel'stvo Sel'skokhozyaystvennoy Literatury, 1955, 46 pp, U.
11. Fedoseyev, A. P. "Termicheskiye Usloviya Seva Kukuruzy v Severnykh
Rayonakh Kazakhstana" (Thermal Conditions for the Sowing of Corn
in the Northern Regions of Kazakhstan), Trudy Kazakhskogo
Nauchno-Issledovatel'sko o Gidrometeorolo ichesko o Instituta,
no. 7, Sel'skokhoz a stvenna a Meteorologya, Leningrad, 1955,
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12. Germany, Reichsamt fur Wetterdienst (Luftwaffe). Klima des
Ostlandes (Climate of the Eastern Region), Part 2 (Tables),
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13. Glavnaya Geofizicheskaya Observatoriya im. A. I. Voyeykova.
Klimaticheskiye Resursy Tsentral'nykh Oblastey Yevropeyskoy
Ghasti SSSR i Ispol'zovaniye ikh v Sel'skokhozyaystyennom
Proizvodstve (Climatic Resuries of the Central-Regions of the
European Part of the USSR and Their Utilization in Agricultural
Production), Leningrad, Gidrometeorologicheskoye Izdatel'stvo,
1956, 309 pp, U.
-47-
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 Approved For Release 2000/05/30 : CIA-RDP79-01009AO02100070008-4
Glavnoye Upravleniye Gidrometeorologicheskoy Sluzhby pri Sovete
Ministrov SSSR. A roklimaticheski e i Vodnyye Resursy Rayonov
Osvoeniya Tselinnykh i Zalezhnykh Zemel' (Agroclimatic and
Water Resources of the Virgin Lands), Leningrad,
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Soyuza SSR. Mirovoy A ro-Klimaticheski Spravochnik (World
Agro-Climatic Handbook), Leningrad, Gidrometeorologicheskoye
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10. Institut Geografii im. Vakhushti, Akademiya Nauk Gruzinskoy SSR.
Gruzinskaya SSR (Georgian Republic), Moscow, Izdatel'stvo Akademii
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Union, unpublished manuscript, 119571, 0 pp, U.
18. Koloskov, P. I. A roklimatichesko e Ra onirovani e Kazakhstana
(Agroclimatic Divisions of Kazakhstan), Moscow, Institut
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SSSR, 1947, part I (text), 260 pp, U.
19. Kukuruza v 1955 Godu (Corn, in 1955), No. 1, "Nechernozemnaya
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20. Kukuruza v 1955 Godu (Corn in 1955), No. 2, "Rayony Tsentral'no-
Chernozemnoy Zoni i Povolzh?ya""(Central Chernozem and Volga
Regions), Moscow, Gosudarstvennoye Izdatel'stvo Selskokhozyastvennoy
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21. Kukuruza v 1955 Godu (Corn in 1955), No. 4, "Rayony Urala,
Severnogo, Kazakhstanna, Sibiri i Dal'nego Vostoka" (The Ural,
Kazakhstan, Siberian and Far East Regions), Moscow,
Gosudarstvennoye Izdatel'stvo Selskokhozyaystvennoy Literatury,
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22. Kukuruza v 1955 Godu(Corn in 1955), No. 5, "Rayony Sibiry"
(Siberian Regions), Moscow, Gosudarstvennoye Izdatel'stvo
Selskokhozyaystvennoy Literatury, 1956, 199 pp, U.
23. Kukuruza v 1955 Godu (Corn in 1955), No. 6, "Rayony Yuga SSSR"
(Southern Regions of the USSR), Moscow, Gosudarstvennoye
Izdatel'stvo Selskokhozyaystvennoy Literatury, 1956, 179 pp, U.
24. Laptev, I. D. Razmeshcheniye Sotsialisticheskogo Zernovogo
Khozyaystva (Distribution of Socialistic Grain Ariculture ,
Moscow, Gosudarstvennoye Izdatel'stvo Kolkhoznoy i Sovkhoznoy
Literatury, 1940, 190 pp, U.
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 Approved For Release 2000/05/30 : CIA-RDP79-01009AO02100070008-4
25. Litschenko, F. I. Kukuruza v Novykh Rayonakh (Corn in the New
Regions), Moscow/Leningrad, Gosudarstvennoye Izdatel'stvo
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26. Moskovskoye Upravleniye Gidrometsluzhby. Agroklimaticheskiy
Spravochnik o Moskovskoy Oblasti (Agroclimatic Handbook on
Moskovskaya Oblast'), Leningrad,-Gidrometeorologicheskoye
Izdatel'stvo, 1954, 187 pp, U-
27. Nuttonson, M. Y. "Agricultural Climatology of Siberia, Natural
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Institute of Crop Ecology, International A ro-Climatolo ical
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28. "Opyt Vyrashchivaniya Kukuruzy v Moldavii" (The Experience of
Growing Corn in Moldavia), Sotsialisticheskoye Sel'skoye
Khozyaystvo Azerbaydzhana, no. 10, October 56, p. 15-17,-
5-1 , U.
29. Orlova, V. V. Klimaticheskiy Ocherk Barabinskoy Nizmennosti
(Climatic Survey of Barabinsk Lowland), Leningrad,
Gidrometeorologicheskoye Izdatel'stvo, 1954, 235 pp, U-
30. Pavlovskiy, E. N., edr. Geograficheski Sbornik (Geographic
Collection), no. IX, "Voprosy Fenologii" (Questions on Phenology),
Moscow/Leningrad, Izdatel'stvo Akademii Nauk SSSR, 1957, 260 pp,
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31. Pochvennyy Institut im. V. V. Dokuchaeva, Akademiya Nauk SSSR.
Osvoeniye Tselinnykh i Zalezhnykh Zemel' v 1954 Godu (The
Utilization of Virgin and Idle Lands in 1954), Moscow,
Izdatel'stvo Akademii Nauk SSSR, 1956, 383 pp, U.
32. Rose, J. K. "Corn Yields and Climate in the Corn Belt,"
Geographical Review, v. 26, 1936, p. 88-102, U.
33. Sel'skokhozyaystvennaya Entsiklopediya (Agricultural Encyclopedia),
v. 2, 3rd ed, Moscow, Gosudarstvennoye Izdatel'stvo
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34. Smolyakov, P. T. Klimat Tatarii, (Climate of Tatariya ASSR),
Kazan' Tatgosizdat, 1947, 108 pp, U-
35. Sprague, George F., edr. Corn and Corn Improvement, New York,
1955, 688 pp, U.
36. State, Moscow. Dsp 390, 24 Jan 56, Corn Production Given
Impetus at Moscow Meeting, January 28, 1958, p. 8, OFF USE ONLY.
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 Approved For Release 2000/05/30 : CIA-RDP79-01009AO02100070008-4
37. State, Moscow. Dsp 540, 10 May 57, Evidence of a Significant
Reduction in the Area to be Planted to Corn, 2 pp, OFF USE
ONLY.
38. Statisticheskoye Upravleniye RSFSR. Narodnoye Khozyaystvo
RSFSR (National Economy of the RSFSR), Moscow, Gosudarstvennoye
Statisticheskoye Izdatel'stvo, 1957, 364 pp, U.
39. Tsentral'noye Statisticheskoye Upravleniye. Narodnoye
Khoz a stvo SSSR v 1956 Godu (National Economy of the USSR
in 1956), Moscow, Gosudarstvennoye Statisticheskoye Izdatel'stvo,
1957, 296 pp, U.
40. Tsentral'noye Statisticheskoye Upravleniye. Posevnyye Ploshchadi
SSSR: Statisticheskiy Sbornik (Sown Areas of the USSR: Statistical
Handbook) v. 1, Moscow, GosudarstVennoye Statisticheskoye
Izdatel'stvo, 1957, 511 pp, U.
41. Tsentral'noye Statisticheskoye Upravleniye. Sortovyye Posevy
SSSR: Statisticheski Sbornik (Crop Varieties of the USSR:
Statistical Handbook), Moscow, Gosudarstvennoye Statisticheskoye
Izdatel'stvo, 1957, 422 pp, U.
42. Tsentral'noye Upravleniye Yedinoy Gidro-Meteorologicheskoy Sluzhby
Soyuza SSR. Spravochnik o Vodnym Resursam SSSR (Handbook of
Water Resources of the USSR), v. X, "Severnyy Kavkaz" (Northern
Caucasus), Leningrad, Redaktsionno-Izdatel'skiy Otdel TsUYeGMS:
Leningradskoye Otdeleniye, 1936, 1058 pp, U.
43? Valeyev, Sh. V. Kukuruza v Tatarii (Corn in the Tatarskaya
ASSR), Kazan', Tatknigoizdat, 1956, 74 pp, U.
44. Volin, Lazar. "A Survey of Soviet Russian Agriculture," U.S.
Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Monograph, no. 5,
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45. Yakushkin, I. V., and P. E. Marinich, edrs. Zerno e i
Zernobobovyye Kul'tury (Grain and Leguminous Crops), 3rd ed,
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High Yield of Corn and Potatoes in 1958), Sel'skoye Khozyaystvo,
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 Approved For Release 2000/05/30 : CIA-RDP79-01009AO02100070008-4
Maps and Atlases
47. Atlas of Soviet Territorial-Administrative Maps, CIA/RR-GR-155,
Jan 58, OFF USE ONLY.
48. Atlas Mira (Atlas of the World), GUGK MVD SSSR, Moscow, 1954, U.
49. Atlas SSSR (Atlas of the USSR), GUGK MVD SSSR, 2nd ed, Moscow,
1955, U.
50. Bol'shoy Sovetski Atlas Mira (The Great Soviet Atlas of the
World 7, Sovet Narodnykh Komissarov SSSR, v. 1, Moscow, 1937, U-
51. Geo raficheski Atlas (Geographic Atlas), GUGK MVD SSSR, Moscow,
1954, U.
52. Klimatologicheskiy Atlas SSSR (Climatological Atlas of the USSR),
no. 3, Izdaniye Gosplana SSSR i GMK SSSR i RSFSR, Leningrad,
1933, U.
53. Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik (USSR), 1:8,000,000,
1 sheet, GUGK MVD SSSR, Moscow, 1957, U-
54. Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik (USSR), 1:4,000,000,
1 sheets, GUGK MVD SSSR, Moscow, 1954, U.
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 Approved For Releas 2000/05/30 : CIA-RDP79-01009AO02100070008-4
OFFICIAL USE ONLY
OFFICIAL USE ONLY
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