Yield drops and pests increase in crops in Arequipa, Peru

Irregular weather conditions, mainly the intense heat of the past months, have had a negative impact on the yield of crops such as rice, which normally reaches an average production of 5.5 tons per hectare in the valleys of Majes, Ocoña and Camaná, but This year it has been reduced to 4 t/ha, although some producers are achieving between 14 and 16 t/ha, with more careful management and greater investment. On the other hand, the presence of the fungus Botrytis fabae, known as “chocolate spot”, has affected 21 hectares of broad beans in the district of Tuti, province of Caylloma, causing significant damage to leaves, stems, flowers, green pods and grain. The crop promoter of the Caylloma Agrarian Agency, Eng. Ronald Belmonte Samayani, indicates that this is one of the most harmful diseases in this crop. While, in the districts of Maca, Pinchollo and Cabanaconde, in the Colca Valley, considerable extensions of ...