Water use efficiency in almond production

With irrigation water supply and quality an increasingly key issue it is important to gain maximum benefit from moisture and nutrients to maximize nut yields.

The use of specific nutrients as part of a tailored fertilizer programme encourages strong growth and high yields, leading to more transpiration and less drainage and direct evaporation. For example:-

• Use of phosphorus encourages rooting, ensuring better extraction of water from the soil over the life of the grove.
• Potassium (via its osmotic function) and nitrogen (as a result of the internal regulation of hormones and xylem pH) are important for efficient and optimal regulation and control of CO2 uptake and water loss through the stomata.
• Adequate calcium also helps increase water use efficiency.

By using comprehensive, tailored, fertilizer programmes that ensure no nutrient is lacking, yield is increased, producing more fruit for each mm of water.

Water Llegislation

Legislation is increasingly influencing the way growers are managing their crops and, in particular, their use of fertilizers.

In California, for example, water resources are scarce and severe drought an issue. Here, high levels of nitrate in water are being found and nitrogen use is being monitored and recorded on a farm by farm basis.

It is expected that impending future Californian legislation will regulate water and nitrogen use more closely to help minimize these issues.

Yara recognizes this and is committed to working with its customers to ensure legislative measures such as those in California are addressed.

However, this information focuses on best practice nutrition to maximize production and is used as a reference document worldwide, so cannot provide the individual advice required to satisfy legislative requirement.

For local support on these and other environmental or legislative issues, please contact your local Yara agronomist.