Colombian specialists explain how to benefit from the rainy season

The rainy season in Colombia, which arrived in the second week of March, has vital importance for the development of crops. However, excess water can be harmful not only for crops, but for producers' income.

The Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies of Colombia (Ideam) explains that the cleanest possible recollection, and avoiding excess foreign matter such as stems, leaves, bracts, is essential to avoid further damage.

Citrus, banana, pineapple, and avocado benefit more this season than other fruits, as do vegetables like cauliflower, spinach, chard, lettuce, and broccoli.

The crops most subject to being affected by their chemical conditions are yuca, potato, corn, beans, cucumber, tomato, paprika, topito pepper, lettuce, coriander and onion.

For example, some semi-perennial crops such as plantain and banana can be affected by excess water, producing an oxygen deficit (hypoxia), which sometimes affects the function of these plants, making them more sensitive to attack by soil pathogens, and even lead them to die.

According to the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management, the rains will last 40 % more than usual in the entire territory of Colombia, due to La Niña, a phenomenon that produces a change in the coastal waters of the Colombian Pacific Ocean, which will be present until May.

Ideam recommends arranging the soils according to the dates on which it is going to rain, preparing outlet channels to avoid flooding in the crops due to rainfall that can damage the plants if they are not ready for the water.

Ideam also offers an application that allows you to monitor the weather and the probabilities of rainfall, which can be beneficial for small producers and crops that have a harvest at the end of the year.

In April, rainfall might increase in most of Colombia, due to the first rainy season of this year, especially in the Andean and Pacific regions. The Caribbean region and areas of the north and the Atlantic coast, La Guajira and Magdalena will not have high rainfall.

source: agronegocios.co

photo: elcampesino.co