– Rain: The week brought an important reduction in total rainfall to 28 mm (1.1 inches), concentrated at the beginning of the week.
– Temperature: The minimum air-temperatures started to decrease but fortunately the average air and soil temperatures actually had a slight increase! Minimum temperature reached 22.3°C (72.1°F) – 0.9°C lower than last week; and the average reached 27.1°C (80.7°F). The soil temperature reached 27°C (80.6°F). Relative humidity decreased to 83.6% due the lower precipitation of the week, while solar intensity was high during most of the week.
– Observations: Although air temperatures have dropped slightly during the last two weeks, we believe that it hasn’t been of the magnitude to bring stress to plants and to cause NDF. However we remain vigilant and continue monitoring the fields for evidence of natural flowering. Weather has been favorable up until now, but the trustworthy Meteorological Institute of Costa Rica has announced lower temperatures and increased rainfall for the following weeks.