Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1697798933535.pdf (Dominica)
MONTHLY AGRO-METEOROLOGICAL BULLETIN Vol.

5 Issue 8 February 2017 IN THIS ISSUE OVERVIEW OF CONDITIONS FOR FEBRUARY Pg.1 February ‘s Weather Summary El Niño Alert Pg.2 Farming Community Report The month of February varied from moderately dry on parts of the east coast to exceptionally wet in central areas and along the west coast.

The Atlantic High Pressure System which pushed patches of low level clouds across the area and weak unstable conditions both contributed to the monthly rainfall total.
Pg.3 Seasonal Outlook Pg.4 Farming Outlook EL NIÑO ALERT!!!!

 ENSO-neutral conditions have returned and is ex- pected to remain at least towards the end of the dry season.

 Some models anticipate an onset of El Niño into the 2017 wet season.

 ENSO neutral conditions have little effect on rainfall or temperatures.

 However, if El Niño mani- fests by June-July-August 2017, odds are in favour of drier weather with less ex- treme rainfall than usual for the first half of the wet sea- son.
SUMMARY FOR FEBRUARY 2017 Canefield Airport Douglas-Charles Airport Parameter (February 2017) Rainfall Total Normal Wettest day Wet Days (≥1.0mm) Temperature 30 year average Maximum Temperature 80.3mm (normal) 45.8 to 81.7mm 21st (21.4mm) 11 days 26.4°C 26.4°C 32.0°C (4th) 47.6mm (below normal) 77.2 to 106.7mm 1st (17.0mm) 10 days 26.4°C 25.9°C 30.5°C (21st) Minimum Temperature 19.4°C (17th) 18.5°C (22nd & 23rd) Relative Humidity Maximum wind gust Average daily sunshine hours Normal 65% 52km/h (28th) - 73% 63km/h (28th) 7hrs 36mins 7hrs 18mins Table 1 February 2017 weather parameters 1 Figure 1 Daily rainfall at Canefield and Douglas-Charles Airports FARMING COMMUNITY In the north and northeast regions the weather con- ditions impacted negatively on onion crops.
For in- stance, onion crops that were established as sched- uled and had good germination rate suffered from the impacts of heavy rain showers.

In high rain fed areas, crops established in poorly drained plots were washed away.

The rehabilitation and expansion of passionfruit crop was undertaken in the northern region.

 Banana Tissue Culture Plants are being prepared for farmers willing to establish and expand their opera- tions.

Plantlets are currently being hardened.


This process involves the gradual introduction of seed- lings to the outdoors by placing them in a protected location outside for a specific time.

This process ena- bles the seedlings to be able to adapt to the weather conditions in the open fields.

Stages of a Banana Tissue Culture plant    In the south and northeast agricultural regions the Irish potato planting season began late.

The sale of seeds is currently ongoing.


Farmers are undertaking their land preparation activities to include; clearing of weeds, tilling of soil, the application of fertilizers, white lime and sowing of potato seeds.

In the western region there is an approved project towards the purchasing of a water truck for water distribution to the farming community.

The water storage tank being constructed is still a work in pro- gress.
This intervention will be most needed by farm- ers especially during the dry season.

The western region is planning a pesticide training with respect to the use of agro-chemical in vegetable production.

 There is an ongoing Farmer’s Field School being con- ducted in the central agricultural region where slope stabilization, land preparation and tilling of soil were the interactive lessons demonstrated for the month.
During land preparation activities the impacts of weathering on different soil types and tilling were observed.

Slope stabilization in Cochrane  Inputs are available under the horticulture pro- gramme to assist farmers in the programme.

Fertiliz- er and white lime were incorporated in the produc- tion system for above and below crops.

This inter- vention should have a positive correlation with crops being produced.

 The agricultural programme within schools received some attention for the month.
Assistance was given to those who experienced negative impacts from weather conditions and they were taught how to practice climate smart agriculture.

 The scale insect is being controlled by the release of natural enemies.

However, there are reports from the extension service that the insects are spreading to other nearby farming communities.

The breadfruit crop is one of the crops currently being affected and the symptoms are clearly visible.
Soil tilling demonstration at Farmer’s Field School 2 REGIONAL OVERVIEW ON SEASONAL FORECASTS FOR MARCH-APRIL-MAY 2017 Rainfall Outlook Temperature Outlook Forecast:  Slightly above to normal rainfall totals can be ex- pected at least up to April 2017.

However, there are uncertainties beyond that.


(Normal range- approximately 250 - 400mm)  The usual amount of wet days are not expected to change significantly (low confidence) ( forecast range: 21 to 59 days)  A slight increase in 7-day wet and or very wet spells frequency (low to medium confidence) (7- day wet spells(forecast range: 0 to 4).

About one to two 3-day extreme wet spells can be ex- pected.

 There are no drought concerns for Dominica for the season.
Forecast:  Temperatures across the Caribbean are forecast to rise gradually and become more uncomforta- ble throughout the period.

 Heat discomfort will probably grow more slowly in the Windwards than at this time in the past couple of years.

 The chances of heat waves are appearing in May and June for many islands.
 (Maximum temperature normal range: 29-31°C) (Mean temperature normal range: 26-28°C) (Minimum temperature normal range: 22-23°C) Probability : Maximum/ day-time temperature: 45% chance of above normal; 35% chance normal; 20% chance of below normal  The build-up of usual dry season impacts on wa- ter availability should be slower than usual.

 Flash flood potential is not a major concern until the end of April.

Mean temperature: 45% chance of above normal; 35% chance normal; 20% chance of below normal.
Minimum/ night-time temperature: 45% chance of above normal; 35% chance normal; 20% chance of below normal.

3 Vol.

5 Issue 8 February 2017 CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR MARCH Parameter Canefield Rainfall normal Airport 31.6 to 56.0mm Douglas-Charles Airport 74.2 to 130.3mm  Compost is an organic matter resource that has the unique ability to improve the chemical, physical and biological characteristics of soils.

It contains plant nutrients but is typically not characterized as a fertilizer.
-highest total 129.2mm (2004) 317.4mm (1995) -lowest total 5.5mm (2005) 27.7mm (1994) Temperature 26.9°C 26.4°C -maximum 34.4°C (2010) 32.3C (2010) -minimum 18.1°C (2009) 17.2°C (2000) Chance of 5 day dry spell Chance of 10 day dry spell 97% 65% Compost practices 26% Table 2 climate summary for February 71% FARMER’S OUTLOOK  As we move into the second half of the dry season, farmers need to study their soil moisture content and ensure that their soil is given adequate attention.
Composting is one way to achieving the right soil moisture content.

Extension services will be focusing on composting tech- nique and training of young farmers.

Some of the benefits include but not limited to:  Adding compost to the farm helps to neutralize its pH and improve the cation exchange capacity (CEC) of soils, increasing their ability to hold nutrients for plant use.

 Compost assist in binding soil particles together.
It allows the soil to resist compaction and increasing its ability to hold moisture and nutrients.

It also increases infiltration and permeability of heavy soils, thus re- ducing erosion and runoff.

 If the soil is sandy, it may be lacking nutrients.

Compost improves the water holding capacity, thus reducing water loss and leaching.

It im- proves the soil structure, porosity, and density, thus creating a better plant root environment.

 The Cassava expansion project is ongoing.


Cas- sava generally thrives in challenging environ- ments particularly under hot and dry condi- tions.

This is one of the reasons why it has be- come such an important component of food security in the region.

Agricultural experts sug- gests those traits could make the cassava itself an adaptive strategy for farmers seeking to maintain food security in areas where the arri- val of hotter and dryer weather conditions are being experienced.
MOON PHASES FQ:05th FM:12th LQ:20th NM:28th Agromet bulletins from across the region can be accessed via http:// rcc.cimh.edu.bb/climate-bulletins/agriculture/ This bulletin is prepared by the Dominica Meteorological Service with support from the Ministry of Agriculture.

Feedback on this bulletin should aictu- doa@gmail.com .

Tele: 767 445 7878, 767 449 1990.

Website: www.weather.gov.dm Hotline: 447 5555 to metoffice@cwdom.dm forwarded be or 4