– Rain: This is the fourth straight week with very dry weather and cool nights! The accumulated precipitation of only 2.6 mm (tenth of an inch) with very light drizzles was well distributed throughout the week.
– Temperature: Air and soil temperatures continued very similar to prior weeks. The minimum reached 20.4°C (68.7°F) and we had three nights in a row with temperatures below 20°C (68°F). The average temperature was 52.9°C (78.3°F). Soil temperature came in identical to last week – 26.7°C (80.1°F) due to the low precipitation. Solar radiation was extremely intense during the week while the average relative humidity was very low, a rather infrequent occurrence in our tropical climate (77.4 %).
– Observations: Our climatic variables continue to be the focus of our attention. We have recorded significantly lower than normal precipitation during the first 3 months of the year – a positive development with regards to NDF! On the other hand, we have had low night-temperatures for a longer period and more consecutive days than usual; we anticipate that the onset of the dry season will bring an increase in night temperatures. The natural fruit inventoried so far has been low in relation to previous years; however the low night temperatures recorded during the last few weeks could bring a spike in NDF volumes. The industry in general has been reporting low levels of NDF and we will only be certain when we inventory fields that could have been impacted by the cold fronts of the last few weeks.