sept-oct-2020

ALMOND BOARD Irrigation Tech Fundamental in Almond Orchard of the Future When considering what irrigation will look like in the almond orchard of the future, it’s reasonable to expect that growers will rely as much on artificial intelligence as they do their own experience: In-field data on soil moisture and texture, spatial variability, and weather information collected by remote sensors or pressure chambers could be combined with aerial imagery that captures plant vigor or water stress to provide real-time analytics on an orchard. Similarly, computer algorithms could help growers make scientifically informed decisions around water in the areas of how much, at what frequency and where to apply this valuable resource across the orchard. This concept of irrigation in the almond orchard of the future may sound like something from a futuristic movie. However, many of the components mentioned above are already accessible and being used today in orchards up and down the Central Valley. The key next step for the industry is to harness this technology and organize the data it provides so that growers can quickly act upon it. With the sting of California’s latest drought still in memory and the state beginning to clamp down on groundwater use, maximizing every “crop per drop” of water has never been more important. This reality helped propel the almond industry to announce its Almond Orchard 2025 Goals — one of which is to reduce the amount of water needed to grow a pound of almonds by an additional 1 20 percent. Tech Can Lead to New Solutions The rapid advancement of commercial precision farming technology — paired with an understanding of almond tree growth and what drives yield — is expected to lead to new irrigation solutions for growers. “Smart irrigation management will consist of a combination of hardware and software that will allow growers to make precise irrigation decisions,” said Sebastian Saa, associate director of Agricultural Research for the Almond Board of California (ABC). IN YOUR ORCHARD 1 Why “additional” ? Over the past two decades, almond growers have successfully reduced the amount of water needed to grow a pound of almonds by 33% via improved production practices and adoption of efficient microirrigation technology. (Source: University of California, 2010. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2012. Almond Board of California, 1990–94, 2000-14.) 3 0 A L M O N D F A C T S