INFLUENCE OF POLLINIZER ARRANGEMENT, BLOOM TIMING, AND ALMOND CULTIVAR RATIOS ON ORCHARD PRODUCTIVITY AND CROP VALUE

‘Nonpareil’ almonds are more valuable than pollinizer nuts and growers have shown interest in increasing the ratio of ‘Nonpareil’ to its pollinizer cultivars.
Previous work suggested that alternating cultivars down the row may enhance cross pollination and increase production compared to single rows of cultivars.
This work sought to determine if additional value could be captured by planting ‘Nonpareil’ in every row with pollinizers every two trees down the row (‘Nonpareil’ at 66%) while maintaining the yield advantages of a single row, 1:1 planting.
We also evaluated whether one mid-blooming pollinizer cultivar is sufficient or if an early plus a mid-blooming pollinizer would provide better production.
The experimental orchard was planted in 2002 to compare three treatments: a 1:1 planting with early and mid-blooming pollinizer cultivars; a planting with a mid-blooming pollinizer arranged every two trees down the row; and a planting with both early and mid-blooming pollinizers in alternating rows arranged every two trees down the row.
Yield data was collected for seven years and nut cultivar market values were used to calculate returns per hectare.
Cumulative yield per hectare for all cultivars combined did not significantly favor one treatment over another and an early blooming pollinizer did not significantly enhance ‘Nonpareil’ yield per tree.
Treatments with 66% ‘Nonpareil’ were not consistently higher in dollar value per hectare in individual years.

VI International Symposium on Almonds and Pistachios

J.H. Connell, J. Floyd, J. Limberg, B. Miller, J. Boles

Prunus dulcis, Prunus amygdalus, pollination, yield, ‘Nonpareil’

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2014.1028.11