The USDA has published preliminary estimates of the new crop of almonds in California, according to which the harvest of almonds in 2019 will be 9.6% more than last year and reach 1133981 tons, while the area of fruit-bearing almond orchards will reach a record 688 thousand hectares. This year’s yield is projected at 2399 kg /ha., which is 2.4% higher than last year’s results (2343 kg/ha.).
At the beginning of the season, the almond harvest of 2019 was dominated by unusual weather conditions. As it stated in the report, the rains during the flowering of almond orchards hampered pollination. However, due to the prolonged flowering period, cross-pollination between different varieties of almond trees became possible, so that as a result, with pollination everything turned out to be the best. Low temperatures due to rains minimized the invasion of pests, but in some gardens rotting of the fruits was observed. Strong winds in mid-April not only damaged the trees, but also caused the nuts to fall. In the second half of April, the weather improved, so that the farmers were able to start the planned processing of trees (fertilizing and irrigation). The crop is developing in accordance with the planned figures, and the producers hope that this year the almonds will be large