Row Orientation and Canopy Position Affect Bud Differentiation, Leaf Area Index and Some Agronomical Traits of a Super High-Density Almond Orchard

Super-high density (SHD) is the latest innovation in almond growing. This new cropping system needs to be studied in different climates, soils, latitudes and cultivars in order to promote more efficient and sustainable orchard management. This study shows the effects of two row orientations and different canopy positions on leaf area index (LAI), photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) and biological, phenological and agronomical parameters of a SHD almond orchard. Total bud number and flower bud number were higher for N-S row orientation and more wood buds were detected in top layers. LAI was strongly influenced by layer, but not by row orientation. Row orientation did not affect blooming or ripening phenology. Fruit number per layer was higher for North–South (N-S) row orientation and in middle layers; fruit set showed the opposite trend to flower bud and fruit numbers, achieving higher values for East–West (E-W) row orientation. Hulled fruit yield was not affected by row orientation but by canopy height. N-S oriented rows showed a greater number of empty nuts than E-W, but no differences were found between layers. We concluded that in SHD almond orchards, row orientation is determinant for sustainable crop management.

[1]  S. Camposeo,et al.  Effect of increasing climatic water deficit on some leaf and stomatal parameters of wild and cultivated almonds under Mediterranean conditions , 2011 .

[2]  S. Camposeo,et al.  GROWTH AND YIELDS OF 'ARBEQUINA' HIGH-DENSITY PLANTING SYSTEMS IN THREE DIFFERENT OLIVE GROWING AREAS IN ITALY , 2014 .

[4]  R. Savé,et al.  Leaf Photosynthesis in Eight Almond Tree Cultivars , 2003, Biologia Plantarum.

[5]  F. Dicenta,et al.  Heritability of fruit characters in almond , 1993 .

[6]  H. Rapoport,et al.  Olive floral development in different hedgerow positions and orientations as affected by irradiance , 2017 .

[7]  S. Herrera,et al.  Chilling and Heat Requirements of Temperate Stone Fruit Trees (Prunus sp.) , 2020, Agronomy.

[8]  P. Proietti,et al.  Translocation of Assimilates and Source-Sink Influences on Productive Characteristics of the Olive Tree , 1996 .

[9]  P. Martínez-Gómez,et al.  The origin of the self-compatible almond ‘Guara’ , 2015 .

[10]  H. Mutsaers.  The effect of row orientation, date and latitude on light absorption by row crops , 1980, The Journal of Agricultural Science.

[11]  A. F. Mansergas.  On the origin of 'Guara' almond , 2017 .

[12]  D. Connor,et al.  Effect of row spacing on vegetative structure, fruit characteristics and oil productivity of N-S and E-W oriented olive hedgerows. , 2015 .

[13]  S. Orlandini,et al.  Solar radiation affects grapevine susceptibility to Plasmopara Viticola , 2008 .

[14]  David J. Connor,et al.  Relationships between olive yield components and simulated irradiance within hedgerows of various row orientations and spacings , 2016 .

[15]  A. Romero,et al.  OLIVE ORCHARD DESIGN AND MECHANIZATION: PRESENT AND FUTURE , 2014 .

[16]  D. Connor,et al.  Row orientation: Applications to productivity and design of hedgerows in horticultural and olive orchards , 2015 .

[17]  Carlo Ingrao,et al.  Application of water footprint to olive growing systems in the Apulia region: a comparative assessment , 2016 .

[18]  J. Hunter,et al.  Vineyard row orientation and grape ripeness level effects on vegetative and reproductive growth characteristics of Vitis vinifera L. cv. Shiraz/101-14 Mgt , 2017 .

[19]  A Artega,et al.  HERITABILITY OF FRUIT AND KERNEL TRAITS IN ALMOND , 2002 .

[20]  D. Connor,et al.  Effect of olive hedgerow orientation on vegetative growth, fruit characteristics and productivity , 2015 .

[21]  C. Frampton,et al.  Effect of row orientation, trellis type, shoot and bunch position on the variability of Sauvignon Blanc (Vitis vinifera L.) juice composition , 2017 .

[22]  P. Martín‐Ramos,et al.  Comparison of SHD and Open-Center Training Systems in Almond Tree Orchards cv. ‘Soleta’ , 2019 .

[23]  J. Cuevas,et al.  Processes affecting fruit distribution and its quality in the canopy of olive trees. , 2000 .

[24]  J. Marois,et al.  The effects of wind speed, temperature, and relative humidity on developmen of aerial mycelium and conidia of Botrytis cinerea on grape , 1988 .

[25]  Y. Rharrabti,et al.  Codification and description of almond (Prunus dulcis) vegetative and reproductive phenology according to the extended BBCH scale , 2019, Scientia Horticulturae.

[26]  R. Zorer,et al.  Vineyard row orientation of Vitis vinifera L. cv. Shiraz/101-14 Mgt: Climatic profiles and vine physiological status , 2016 .

[27]  S. Vemmos,et al.  Effects of reduced irradiance on leaf morphology, photosynthetic capacity, and fruit yield in olive (Olea europaea L.) , 2007, Photosynthetica.

[28]  S. Camposeo,et al.  Olive genotypes cultivated in an adult high-density orchard respond differently to canopy restraining by mechanical and manual pruning , 2015 .

[29]  R. Samson,et al.  Photosynthesis performance in sweet almond [Prunus dulcis (Mill) D. Webb] exposed to supplemental UV-B radiation , 2011, Photosynthetica.

[30]  M. Soriano,et al.  Productivity of olive orchards in response to tree density , 2007 .

[31]  David J. Connor,et al.  Structure, management and productivity of hedgerow olive orchards: A review , 2014 .

[32]  Bernardo De Gennaro,et al.  Environmental sustainability of different soil management techniques in a high-density olive orchard , 2015 .

[33]  M. Cecilia Rousseaux,et al.  Fruit, yield, and vegetative growth responses to photosynthetically active radiation during oil synthesis in olive trees , 2013 .

[34]  A. Fabbri,et al.  Review Article Flower bud induction and differentiation in olive , 2000 .

[35]  P. Martínez-Gómez,et al.  Inheritance and relationships of important agronomic traits in almond , 2007, Euphytica.

[36]  Heritability and phenotypic variation of double seeds in almond (Prunus dulcis) , 2014, Euphytica.

[37]  D. Connor,et al.  Yield determination in olive hedgerow orchards. I. Yield and profiles of yield components in north-south and east-west oriented hedgerows , 2009 .

[38]  S. Orlandini,et al.  Row orientation effect on UV-B, UV-A and PAR solar irradiation components in vineyards at Tuscany, Italy , 2008, International journal of biometeorology.

[39]  S. J. Hill,et al.  Almond yield in relation to tree size , 1987 .

[40]  J. Berbel,et al.  The Economics of Irrigation in Almond Orchards. Application to Southern Spain , 2020, Agronomy.

[41]  J. Palmer.  The effects of row orientation, tree height, time of year and latitude on light interception and distribution in model apple hedgerow canopies , 1989 .

[42]  D. Sugar,et al.  Hedgerow Orientation Affects Canopy Exposure, Flowering, and Fruiting of `Anjou' Pear Trees , 1993 .

[43]  S. Camposeo,et al.  Ripening indices and harvesting times of different olive cultivars for continuous harvest , 2013 .