Economy 29 July 2025, 9:00am

Worsening drought causes significant crop losses for three important agricultural crops in Hungary

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Researchers at the HUN-REN Research Institute have compared this summer to the most severe drought year on record, which is likely to have a negative impact primarily on corn, potato, and apple yields. To mitigate the effects of the drought, experts recommend not only expanding irrigation but also making soil management more conscious. In their article, they also emphasize that technological advances, especially artificial intelligence (AI), can play a significant role in the more efficient use of resources and contribute to the faster breeding of drought-tolerant plant varieties.

Over the past 30 years, the frequency and intensity of droughts in Hungary has clearly increased. What's more, these extreme weather events are increasingly accompanied by heat waves. Annual precipitation is decreasing, while its distribution over time is becoming increasingly unfavorable. According to climate experts' forecasts, further deterioration is expected in this area in the coming decades.

According to the HUN-REN Agricultural Research Center, droughts may not only become more frequent in the future, but also longer, affecting increasingly larger areas. This poses a serious challenge not only for agriculture, but also for industrial and public utility water users.

Researchers point out that in the short term, drought primarily causes significant damage to agricultural production, especially in the case of the most important arable crops. In the longer term, frequent and severe drought leads to a decrease in the organic matter content of the soil, deterioration of soil structure, and a weakening of water retention capacity.

This also leads to a decline in soil fertility,

pointed out Zsófia Bakacsi, head of department at the Soil Science Institute.

This year, the drought is particularly affecting

maize, water-intensive legumes, and potatoes

—but it can have a negative impact on virtually all arable and fruit crops, especially if the lack of rainfall occurs during critical stages of the plants' life cycle, such as flowering or fruit formation. In the case of fruit trees, such as apple, apricot, or cherry trees, prolonged water shortages weaken the plants, making them more susceptible to disease, and drought during the flowering period can lead to a significant reduction in yield.

The negative effects of drought can be mitigated by various technological solutions,

emphasized Nándor Fodor, director of the HUN-REN ATK Agricultural Institute. According to him,

breeding plant varieties that are more tolerant to water and heat stress, as well as
increasing the organic matter content and water retention capacity of the soil, are key.

At the same time, he also pointed out that Hungary needs to expand its irrigable areas and modernize its irrigation systems and water extraction facilities, all in line with a well-thought-out water management strategy.

According to researchers, artificial intelligence can also play a key role in combating drought,

particularly in optimizing resource use and accelerating plant breeding. “AI-based systems can determine the exact water and nutrient requirements of agricultural fields, increase irrigation efficiency, and reduce the use of chemicals,” said Fodor. He added that algorithms can significantly shorten the time it takes to develop new drought-tolerant and disease-resistant varieties based on the analysis of available genetic and environmental data.

Cover photo (for illustration purposes only): Getty Images