Almond Conference Update

Your Research Dollars at Work

Production research has led to doubled yields and the largest crop on record

Presentations at the 2011 Almond Conference will once again highlight production and environmental research progress and results, offering an opportunity to peer into the range of studies that are being supported by the Almond Board of California (ABC).

almond conference

Two sessions of The Almond Conference will be devoted
to pest management, including reports on Almond Board–funded research.

The kickoff session on Wed., Dec. 7, will take a look at how advances in production brought about by research have doubled average yield per acre over the past 20 years and have set the stage for the largest crop in history.

Panelists will review what has changed in growing and harvesting techniques and what lies ahead. This includes more emphasis on late-spring and summer diseases, irrigation and harvesting.

Two sessions will address almond nutrition management in an age of increasing costs and regulation, and the Almond Board–funded research being conducted in response to these.

Research panelists will review their work on developing a nutrient budget approach for almonds and how to monitor the nutrient status of trees throughout the growing season, making adjustments to meet tree growth and crop demands. In addition to optimizing fertilizer uptake efficiency, researchers will also discuss how the nutrient budget approach minimizes off-site movement of fertilizers such as nitrogen in both air and water.

On the second day of the conference, Dec. 8, the program will include a progress report on honey bee health and supply for the 2012 bloom, and an update on Almond Board–funded research and partnerships with several other organizations aimed at improving honey bee stock, health and nutrition.

The last two sessions of the conference are devoted to almond pest management. The first is an interactive workshop in which the audience will respond electronically to questions in the California Almond Sustainability Program self-assessment module on pest management. This will be a “guided tour” with experts who will discuss audience responses and state of-the-art pest management as the session proceeds. The last conference symposium will provide a progress report on insect, disease and weed management, including research funded by the ABC.