– Rain: Week 51 brought an accumulation of rainfall of 62.6mm (almost 2 and half inches) that was concentrated during the first half of the week. The second half of the week was relatively dry.
– Temperature: Both the air and soil temperatures dropped – the minimum temperature reached 22.2°C (71.9°F) and the average was 25.5°C (77.9°F) – one °C lower than prior week. Also, the soil temperature decreased by one °C as well versus the prior week to 25.7 °C (80°F) (mainly due to the increased rainfall). Relative humidity averaged 87.9 %, while low to moderate solar radiation was experienced during the “dry half” of the week.
– Observations: Even though our weather conditions have changed rapidly, we are confident that the levels of rainfall and lower temperatures have not caused any major stress that could trigger significant amounts of NDF. We are starting to survey fields on a weekly basis to identify any natural fruits that may appear. The weather conditions could bring some changes in our fruit quality and the change in harvest pattern is a preventive action. On a more visible note, the size of our fruit and external color are changing as medium-to-small sizes and lower-color fruit are becoming more predominant.