Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium fertilization of almonds

Dr. Or Sperling

Research incentives: Almond production is a leading agricultural industry that is currently expanding due to high profits and increased market demands. Concurrently, economic considerations and environmental regulations force almond growers to adopt precise irrigation and fertilization technologies that would ensure the sustainability of almond cultivation. For this reason, almond farming is shifting to drip irrigation with mineral fertilization (i.e., fertigation). Yet there is no scientific background to support almond fertigation, and current applications are inefficient (50% N efficiency, vs. 75% for traditional dose applications). Hence, we set to define seasonal macro-elements (N, P, and K) uptake by almond trees and study its effects on whole-tree physiology and productivity.