– Rain: Only 11 mm (less than a half inch) of precipitation accumulated during week 8, and it was basically concentrated during the first day of the week.
– Temperature: There was a considerable decrease in air temperature this week, as the minimum only reached 19.6°C (67.3°F) making it the coldest of this year. Our meteorological station reported three days in a row of night temperatures below 20°C (68°F) and the rest of the week was slightly above 20°C. The average temperature decreased to 25.1°C (77.2°F) – 1.1°C lower than week 7. Soil temperature, on the other hand, increased to 26.1°C (79°F) probably due to the lower precipitation. Solar radiation was intense during most of the week.
– Observations: The low rainfall, intense solar radiation, and increased soil temperatures may counter any threat of NDF – we will have to carefully monitor this situation in the coming weeks and evaluate the actual incidence of NDF. We are also seeing increased sugar content and good internal translucency, although exterior color is low. The result is low external color but good internal translucency and fantastic flavor and aroma. The process of natural fruit identification with color ribbons continues for events that occurred late last year and early this year, but the percentage observed so far is very low.