– Rain: Week 13 brought an accumulated rainfall of 44.4 mm (1 3/4 inches) and it was very well distributed throughout the week – a positive climatic change after the prolonged drier-than-normal period.
– Temperature: The average minimum temperature during the week rose to 21.3°C (70.3°F) – 0.9°C higher than last week, and nights with temperatures below 20°C (68°F) were not reported. The average temperature reached 26.1°C (79°F) and the average soil temperature was identical to last week – 26.7°C (80.1°F). Solar radiation was moderate during the first half of the week but became high to very high the rest of the week. Average relative humidity remained identical to last week at 79.8%.
– Observations: So far March has been the driest month of the New Year! Fortunately, during the last week of the month we had some rain that broke the four consecutive weeks of limited precipitation. One of the fruit characteristics most affected by the lack of water is the external color, which we expect to improve in the coming weeks as more precipitation is expected and the increase of harvest age is already in process. The increase in air temperatures is also expected to help achieve a better external color and maintain the other fruit quality characteristic at a desirable level.