Prolonged dry seasons cause the surface root layer (0-30cm deep) - which absorbs 80% of the coffee plant's nutrients - to dry out and suffer severe damage. Without protection, feeder roots die, creating open wounds for nematodes and fungi to attack when the rains arrive.

Healthy feeder roots under a protective organic mulch layer.
The core solution is 'Green Mulching'. Utilizing crop residues and trimmed weeds to cover the plant base, combined with bio-irrigation (using Indigenous Microorganisms - IMO) to decompose this organic layer into humus. Strictly avoid deep tilling which cuts roots during this period.
The dry season is when root-sucking mealybugs and cicada larvae outbreak. When watering, combine with bio-pesticides (Metarhizium, Beauveria) injected straight into the root zone to destroy them.