Performance of the CITA almond releases and some elite breeding

selections

J.M. Alonso Segura(1), R. Socias i Company(1), O. Kodad(1,3), J.L. Espada Carbó(2), J. Andreu Lahoz(2) and J. Escartín Santolaria(2)

(1) Unidad de Hortofruticultura. Centro de Investigación y Tecnología Agroalimentaria de Aragón

(2) Unidad de Tecnología Vegetal. Departamento de Agricultura. Aragon. España (3) Ecole Nationale d’Agriculture de Meknès. Morocco.

Spain is the third world almond producer

2014 World production: 1.040.000 kernel tons

Country almond shell

kg / ha almond kernel

kg/ha

EEUU 4742 2300 Australia 3820 1900 Italy 1734 550 Spain 398 125

California Spain 100 % irrigation 10% irrigation

Low productivity

Almond in Spain

• Use of autochthonous cultivars • Early blooming • Self-incompatibility • Susceptible to pests and diseases • Low crop potential

• Unfavorable growing conditions

• Mediterranean climate (few rains) • No irrigation • Very poor soils • Great planting distances • Few growing inputs

• Fertilizers • Plant health treatments • Orchard pruning

• Drought • Spring frosts • Deficient pollination

Causes of alternation in Spanish production

Spanish almond production

Great annual alternation

tm

Tons of almond kernels

The almond revolution in Spain

The almond revolution in Spain

Regular orchards 240 trees/ha

The almond revolution in Spain

Semi-intensive orchards 550 trees/ha

The almond revolution in Spain

New high density orchards 2500 trees/ha

The almond revolution in Spain

The almond revolution in Spain

The almond revolution in Spain

Increase of the almond price: almond demand is increasing - Increase of consumption: USA, Russia, Germany, China, India, South Korea,… - Knowledge of almonds are a very nutritive and healthy food

Easy mechanization of the almond production - Need few labor hours

Spain has a great almond industry - First Californian almond importer: 87.500 tons

- Second World almond exporter

Causes: high orchard profit

and the great activity of the Spanish almond breeding programmes

Moncayo “Tardive de la Verdiere” x “Tuono” SC Ayles “Tuono” OP SC Blanquerna “Genco” OP SC Cambra “Ferragnès”

“Tuono” SC Felisia “Titan”

“Tuono” SC Guara Unknown SC Belona “Blanquerna”

“Belle d’Aurons” SC Soleta “Blanquerna”

“Belle d’Aurons” SC Mardía “Felisia”

“Bertina” SC Vialfas “Felisia”

“Bertina” SC Glorieta “Primorskij”

“Cristomorto” SI Francolí “Cristomorto” OP SC Masbovera “Primorskij”

“Cristomorto” SI Constantí (“Ferragnès”

“Ferraduel”) OP SC Marinada “Lauranne”

“Glorieta” SC Tarraco (“Ferralise”

“Tuono”)

Anxaneta SI Vairo (“Primorskij”

“Cristomorto”)

“Lauranne” SC Antoñeta “Ferragnès”

“Tuono” SC Marta “Ferragnès”

“Tuono” SC Penta S5133

“Lauranne” SC Tardona S5133

R1000 SC

(10)

(7)

(4)

Great productivity and quality of new releases

MARTA

21 new releases from 1975

Dr. Antonio J. Felipe Dr. Rafael Socias i Company

• 1966 – Almond germplasm collection (Nurseries, Prospections, exchanges with other research centers and repositories)

• 1974 – Start of rootstock and almond cultivar breeding programs

Rootstocks Almond varieties

The CITA almond breeding program

1997 Blanquerna 1997 Cambra 1997 Felisia 1998 Moncayo 1998 Ayles 1998 Guara 2005 Belona 2005 Soleta 2007 Mardía 2013 Vialfas

1996 Garnem 1997 Monegro 1998 Felinem

• Self-compatibility

• Late blooming

• High Productivity

• High fruit quality •Organoleptic •Nutritional •Commercial

• Frost and drought resistance

• Pest and disease resistance

• No double kernels

• Easy tree management

• Early fruit ripening

• Tree efficiency

• Adaptation to intensive systems

Breeding objectives

The CITA almond breeding program

Selection of new candidate cultivars - Evaluation of seedlings at the CITA almond breeding plots

- Self-compatibility - Time of blooming and flower density - Production and fruit morphological characteristics - Taste and fruit chemical composition

- Evaluation in commercial conditions - CITA almond collection - Network of Aragon Government - Different Spanish almond cooperatives - Almond producers

- Tree management - Productivity - Adaptability - Resistances and tolerances

Study of the performance of the new selections

An example: Association of fruit growers of the region of Caspe (Zaragoza) Orchard for demonstration of new technologies in fruit growing of 9 has

- Objectives: - Check the adaptation of new varieties and rootstocks of

different fruit species to the edaphic-climatic conditions of the “Bajo Aragón“ region.

- Evaluate new cultivation techniques to make the orchards more competitive.

- Create knowledge to stablish stable employment in the agriculture sector of the area

Study of the performance of the new selections

Study of the performance of the new selections

Performance of the new selections in AFRUCCAS orchard

The collection of CITA releases an new selections was established in 2005 at a distance of 6 x 7m The plant material was grafted in 2006 in the peach x almond INRA GF-677 rootstock. Trees were trained at free open vase and managed under drip irrigation conditions according the commercial requirements. 6 trees by genotype. Phenology, vigor, production, fruit and orchard parameters are being controlled to ascertain the agronomical performance of each variety.

Genotype Origin Blooming date Harvesting date

Belona “Blanquerna”

“Belle d’Aurons” Late Early

G-2-22 Felisia x Bertina Late Early

Mardía Felisia x Bertina Very late Early

G-3-3 Felisia x Bertina Late Medium

G-3-4 Felisia x Bertina Late Medium

G-5-25 Felisia x Bertina Very late Medium

Guara Unknown Late Early

Vialfas Felisia x Bertina Very late Early

I-3-67 Felisia x Moncayo Medium Early

Soleta “Blanquerna”

“Belle d’Aurons” Late Medium

Performance of the new selections in AFRUCCAS orchard

Vigor index

Performance of the new selections in AFRUCCAS orchard

Genotype

Mesocarp (Hull) Endocarp (Shell) Kernel Whole fruit % Yield

g % g % g % g K/(E+K) K/(M+E+K)

I-3-67 1,9 27,5 3,5 50,8 1,5 21,8 7,0 30,0 21,8

Belona 2,6 27,9 4,9 53,5 1,7 18,5 9,2 25,7 18,5

Guara 2,4 33,7 3,0 43,1 1,6 23,2 7,0 35,1 23,2

Vialfas 2,1 30,0 3,6 51,5 1,3 18,5 7,0 26,4 18,5

G-2-22 1,9 28,6 3,5 53,8 1,2 17,6 6,5 24,7 17,6

Mardía 1,9 29,1 3,3 51,5 1,3 19,3 6,5 27,3 19,3

G-5-25 2,4 28,4 4,4 52,6 1,6 19,0 8,4 26,5 19,0

G-3-4 2,2 28,9 4,0 53,1 1,4 18,0 7,5 25,4 18,0

G-3-3 2,1 31,6 3,2 49,0 1,3 19,4 6,5 28,3 19,4

Soleta 2,7 35,3 3,4 45,0 1,5 19,7 7,6 30,4 19,7

Fruit efficiency

Cultivar Potential Crop

Kg/ha

Accumulated yield

2009-2014

(Kg/ha)

Shell almond Kernel Shell almond Kernel

Belona 4.577 1.144 10.810 3.060

G-2-22 3.559 839 8.030 2.001

Mardía 3.920 918 9.575 2.376

G-3-3 2.785 681 8.444 2.243

G-3-4 2.188 483 6.407 1.594

G-5-25 4.926 1.094 14.098 3.517

Guara 5.660 1.704 15.792 5.654

Vialfas 3.751 973 13.479 3.397

I-3-67 5.490 1.854 18.249 5.350

Soleta 4.017 1.095 12.919 3.877

Performance of the new selections in AFRUCCAS orchard

Potential Crop and Accumulated yield

The experimentation of breeding selections play a fundamental role in the breeding programs. Cooperation to evaluate new selections is very appreciated by the breeding programs. Experimentation provides rich information about the variety performance in the different climates and the training requirements of the variety Future varieties have to show good productivities, high fruit quality, great adaptation, pest and diseases tolerances and easy training

Performance of the new selections in AFRUCCAS orchard

Performance of the CITA almond releases and some elite breeding

selections

Dr. José Manuel Alonso Segura Investigador Agrario

Unidad de Hortofruticultura Centro de Investigación y Tecnología Agroalimentaria de Aragón