YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – In tonight's Home Grown Report, after the storm hit Yuma County, local research scientists discuss how wet weather is impacting local agriculture during prime crop season. I'm sharing Iruka.

“Excessive rain can have a variety of effects on crops,” said Dr. Johan Murcia, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Arizona.

One is that it creates a dangerous working environment for day laborers.

“Some of the tasks that farmers have to do will also be affected. Spraying and harvesting are affected because of the difficulty in accessing the fields,” Dr. Murcia said.

Another problem caused by rain is plant diseases.

“Excessive rain is the perfect time for disease, especially here in lettuce growing regions,” Dr. Murcia says.

Murcia said high humidity causes diseases that cause plants to rot, and those diseases can occur quickly.

“This is a stressful time. If you are close to harvesting a crop and it rains, it will be difficult to harvest the crop and you will invest a lot of resources,” Dr. Murcia said.

Scientists said the quality of the product could also be affected, and farmers could incur huge losses as market prices fall or leafy vegetables are no longer available in the market. Ta.

Dr Murica said all farmers can do now is keep an eye on the weather forecast and hope Mother Nature will work in their favor.