The department of Vavoua in Ivory Coast has recorded cooler then average temperatures for the past 30 days.
In this important cocoa department, the cooling started with the small dry season and, until recently, was due to mild daytime temperatures coupled with slightly cooler nights, leading to a small overall deviation from the average.
The last week, however, has seen a more significant cooling of both maximum and minimum temperatures, especially during the day.
The small anomaly experienced until mid-October may have led to a more abundant condensation of morning dew on the pods, favourable to black pod disease, but did not significantly interfere with the physiology of the tree.
However, the recent anomaly, if it continues, will be significant enough to slow down the production of new leaves and the plant’s overall water consumption. The former could lead to a late fruit set of the intermediate crop, which would then be more exposed to the main dry season, while the latter would make the soil water reserve more durable and would mainly benefit the tail of the main crop.
