Almonds are a favorite healthy snack of many. It can be seen in every grocery store across the globe. However, California is the major producer of almonds. Almond trees are perennial crops with particular requirements and challenges for growers.
In the recent almond research, Sat Darshan Khalsa, a member of the Soil Science Society of America and senior scientist in the University of California, Davis, tried to identify how almond trees use nitrogen. He presented his research findings at the virtual 2020 ASA-CSSA-SSSA Annual Meeting.
How cultivating almonds and the traditional crop is different?
According to Khalsa, deciduous crops like almonds intersect forest and agricultural ecosystems. These are farmed intensively. Moreover, they also require higher inputs of nutrients, water, and fertilizers.
Moreover, almonds demand soils with no previous tilling for their growth. However, digging and tilling disturb the roots of the almond trees. Some other disadvantages of tilling include leaves’ shedding, growth of woody tissues, and occurrence of other unexpected processes. It may also disrupt the nitrogen, carbon, and other nutrient cycles.
These characteristics often indicate nutrient loss from the fields. The lost nutrients can get into groundwater aquifers, affecting the drinking water. The main focus of Khalsa’s research is to reduce this issue.
According to Khalsa, nitrogen plays a vital role in increasing productivity. At the same time, it is a major pollutant of water and air. He believes that their research will prove that almond growers in California are in a position to maintain a high productivity level. Simultaneously, it is possible to improve and protect the environmental quality.
Khalsa and his colleagues focused on studying the efficiency of nitrogen use. It helps farmers in putting a balance between environmental quality and nitrogen application. Their research indicates that conservation practices can help achieve a high nitrogen use efficiency.
Some common conservation techniques:
Nutrient Budgeting
The most common conservation practice is known as nutrient budgeting. This technique involves precise measurements of outputs and inputs from a field. After precise measurement, makes efforts to balance these inputs and outputs. Additionally, this technique also monitors the nutrient levels in soil and leaves.
Fertigation
It involves the targeted application of fertilizers with the help of an irrigation system. It allows precise measurement to fulfill the plant’s needs. Khalsa’s research is not limited to almonds. Farmers can use it for different crops to increase revenue while growing food with high nutrient levels.
“Matching supply and demand are the foundation of the 4R framework to improve the efficiency of nutrient management,” Khalsa says. “The 4R framework is the right fertilizer source at the right rate, at the right time, in the right place. That’s what will help us be more efficient.”
This research’s main challenges were understanding the nitrogen cycling in almonds and nitrogen application to fields. Khalsa highlights that they have integrated their research with information networks, such as Certified Crop Advisers and Cooperative Extension, to understand the abovementioned facts.
The goals and requirements of the farmers, growers, and industry associations must be the focus of any efforts to address these agricultural concerns. This kind of work encourages acceptance and broadens opportunities for exploration, such as evaluating soil health practices in orchards.
Khalsa advises scientists to be curious during every phase of the food value chain. It encourages them to understand the alignment of their research interest with other policymakers, scientists, and researchers.
“After decades of working with plants, soil, and water, I think that through understanding people, we will be able to solve the biggest problems,” he says. “Agriculture plays an essential role in communities worldwide. I find no better way to connect with anyone than through the food we share.”
Who supported the research?
The Almond Board of California, the California Department of Food and Agriculture Fertilizer Research and Education Program, the Foundation for Food and Agricultural Research, and the United States Department of Agriculture California Specialty Crop Block Grants funded this research.