– Rain: Week 14 brought moderate rainfall concentrated towards the weekend, with showers of moderate intensity. The total cumulative rainfall was 17.2 mm (0.68 inches).
– Temperature: The average minimum temperature during the week reached 21°C (69.8°F) – slightly lower than last week and we had two nights with temperatures below 20°C (68°F). The average temperature reached 26.2°C (79.2°F) and the average soil temperature was almost identical to last week at 26.8°C (80.3°F). Solar radiation was very intense most of the week, while the average relative humidity stayed identical to the last two weeks at 79.8%.
– Observations: April has started with some rainfall – a positive trend after the long period of low precipitation. The dry period and low night-temperatures have delayed the development of the fruit, driving the increase in harvest age which is underway. We plan to have 100% of the fruit at 22 WAF by Easter, and some areas may even increase to 23 WAF if necessary. While we have not completed our inventory of NDF, we continue to see significantly less naturally induced plants than prior year.