France
October 28, 2026
Faced with another year of heatwaves and water stress, European farmers once again had to adapt to challenging growing conditions. While maize and sunflower crops were impacted across many regions, the 2026 season also highlighted the growing importance of resilient genetics to secure production in an increasingly variable climate.
Maize 2026: managing heat and water stress
The 2026 maize season was marked by repeated heatwaves and severe moisture deficits across large parts of Europe. According to August estimates, European grain maize yields are expected to be around 7% below the five-year average, while silage maize could decline by 12%.
The impact varied significantly depending on the region:
- France experienced several heatwaves combined with irrigation restrictions, particularly affecting grain filling. Yield forecasts are around 28% below the five-year average.
- In Central Europe, including Germany, Austria, Czechia and Slovakia, hot and dry conditions affected pollination, ear development and biomass accumulation.
- Southern and South-Eastern Europe, notably Hungary, Italy, Slovenia and Croatia, also faced intense drought and high temperatures. In Hungary, forecasts indicate yield reductions of approximately 30% for maize.
- More favourable conditions were observed in Eastern Europe, particularly in Romania, Bulgaria, Poland and Ukraine, where summer rainfall helped preserve crop potential.
The key lesson remains clear: heat and water stress during critical crop stages continue to be the main challenges for securing maize performance across Europe.
Genetics delivering performance under pressure
In these demanding conditions, farmers increasingly rely on genetics capable of maintaining performance despite climatic stress.
Throughout the season, MAS Seeds observed very encouraging field results from several WATERLOCK® hybrids, including MAS 251T and MAS 335I, which demonstrated strong adaptation to dry environments.
Within the silage segment, MAS 270S GREEN+ and MAS 409H GREEN+ stood out for their ability to maintain green leaf area and photosynthetic activity longer into the season, helping preserve forage quality and performance under stress conditions.
As climatic variability increases year after year, genetic resilience is becoming a strategic lever for securing yields and supporting farm profitability.
Sunflower 2026: more hectares, greater challenges
Sunflower continued its expansion across Europe in 2026, with cultivated area increasing by approximately 8%, confirming its importance within crop rotations and its reputation as a drought-tolerant crop.
However, the season showed that even sunflower has its limits when exposed to prolonged periods of heat and water deficit.
From May to September, many European regions experienced successive heatwaves. The consequences were visible across fields: shorter plants, smaller heads, leaf scorching, disrupted pollination and limited grain filling. In several countries, yields are expected to rank among the lowest recorded since the 1990s.
Yet despite these extreme conditions, sunflower often maintained a competitive economic position compared with other spring crops, confirming its value in increasingly dry environments
Preparing for 2027: Matching Genetics to Local Conditions
The 2026 season also reinforced a key agronomic lesson: variety choice matters more than ever.
In several regions, early-maturing hybrids combined with early sowing dates were better able to avoid the most critical heat periods during flowering, helping to protect yield potential.
Looking ahead to 2027, adaptation will remain the priority. Selecting the right genetics and maturity profile for each environment is becoming essential to manage climatic uncertainty and maximize crop performance.
Among the sunflower hybrids to watch for next season are MAS 823SU, MAS 820AR, MAS 900SU WATERLOCK® and MAS 920CP, developed to help farmers address increasingly challenging growing conditions.
Building Resilience for the Future
The 2026 harvest season once again demonstrated that climate resilience is no longer a future challenge: it is a present reality. Across both maize and sunflower, the ability of genetics to withstand heat and water stress is becoming a decisive factor for crop success.
At MAS Seeds, our breeding efforts continue to focus on delivering innovative and resilient genetics that help farmers secure productivity, year after year, whatever the season may bring.
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