WCN December 2019

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ADVANCED HARVEST FOR ALMONDS Will California’s almond industry embark on a journey that could entail a major change in harvest practices? By CECILIA PARSONS | Associate Editor JOSETTE LEWIS, THE ALMOND BOARD OF California’s (ABC) new Director of Agricultural Affairs predicted exploring alterative harvesting options will be a journey for almond growers as they make decisions and evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of what would be a major change for the industry. The topic of advanced harvest is so intriguing that it is one of the opening topics at The Almond Conference 2019 in December. While other almond-producing countries have adopted some alternative harvest practices, including over the top harvest, in recent years, nearly all of the California crop, that makes up 80 percent of the world’s almond production, is Connect your farm operation. Simplify record keeping, manage block-level profitability, get complete traceability. 209-232-5882 | Conservis.ag harvested by first mechanically shaking, then windrowing the nuts and finally scooping them up with a pickup machine. New technology in harvest equipment and new harvest strategies have been successful in reducing the amount of dust generated during harvest operations, but dust remains an issue for the industry and is one of the drivers for alternative harvest. Lewis said ABC funded research will help growers understand their harvest options. She noted that some growers are already trying new approaches to harvest and equipment manufacturers are also exploring changes in harvest machine design. Grower Driven Changes Changes will be grower driven, Lewis predicted, as growers strategize to improve their harvest efficiency, reduce dust and improve orchard health. Advancing harvest dates, using a catch frame to keep nuts off the ground and mechanical drying are all aspects of almond harvest that are being studied. Lewis said that adoption of these practices have the potential to also change orchard design, pest management and cultural practices. There will certainly be trade-offs. Mechanical drying would use energy, but early and off the ground harvest would also reduce aflatoxin and crop damage due to pests or disease. Research The level of interest in advanced harvest among almond growers is high, confirmed Patrick Brown of the University of California (UC) Davis Plant Sciences Department. Growers see the harvest alternative as one way of meeting the California almond industry’s 2025 Goal of harvest dust reduction. Brown sees plenty of challenges in adoption of advanced harvest by the almond industry, but the environmental benefits may outweigh the challenges in the future. There could be increased flexibility in irrigation scheduling, meaning less tree stress at the critical time of bud development. Cover crops could replace bare orchard floors, providing extra soil health and pollinator habitat. There is also the chance of reduced need for pesticide applications if nuts are harvested earlier. 62 West Coast Nut December 2019
Advanced Harvest Entails Advanced harvest entails removal of nuts from the orchard shortly after maturity. Reducing the amount of time open, mature nuts are on the tree or orchard floor reduces exposure to navel orangeworm, hull rot and aflatoxin. There is also the potential for enhanced tree health and management. Advancing harvest would allow for timely irrigation at bud development. Avoiding water stress at that time could improve next year’s yields. Earlier removal and avoiding on-ground contact would give growers options in floor management, weed control and ant and vertebrate pest control. There is also the food safety aspect. Eliminating contact with the ground reduces contamination. Shake and Catch With shake and catch harvest, Brown said on-farm hulling could be an option, Over the top almond harvester by the Spanish fire Tenias was on display at the 2018 Almond Conference. Photo courtesy of Cecilia Parsons. but more research is needed. There is a challenge with soft shell varieties. One interim step suggested would be to transport the nuts off-site for spreading and drying. Mechanical hulling onsite would require new machinery. Additional machinery and drying costs could cut into a grower’s bottom line. New infrastructure may be necessary with equipment and harvest date change. There is also a possible impact Continued on Page 64 DON’T FALL FOR THEIR BULL. Buck the rest. Get Acadian ® . Talk is cheap. Other products claim to be as effective as Acadian ® but lack the research or in-field trials to prove it. Ask for the ingredients. Ask for the research. Better yet – Ask for Acadian ® … 100% Ascophyllum nodosom. Get growing. Potency matters. Get growing. Acadian Plant Health is a division of Acadian Seaplants Limited, Acadian ® is a registered trademark of Acadian Seaplants Limited. acadian-usa.com Do Not Print (for office use only) McDaniels Marketing • Client: Acadian• “2019 Acadian Bloom Ads” Print Ad • Ad Size: Half Page horz., 7.25” x 5”• 4/c, 300 dpi • Progressive December Crop Consultant 2019 • Pub www.wcngg.com Deadline: asap 63
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WCN December 2019

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