AUSTRALIAN ALMOND
CONFERENCE
An expert ' s view on ...
How to do more with less
24
ACCOMPLISHED almond expert Professor Patrick Brown was a star attraction at the Australian Almond Conference . The ABA brought Prof Brown to the conference all the way from California and he used his time to educate the audience on ‘ Doing more with less ’. He said the operational costs means it is more important that ever to optimise efficiency and use products at the right time . Prof Brown said knowing the needs of the tree is key to apply nutrients effectively to almonds and can help reduce costs . Key nutrients are nitrogen , potassium , zinc and boron , and what can be monitored and managed like calcium and manganese . Prof Brown referenced the recent study conducted in California that stated to grow one kilogram of almonds the tree will use 68 grams of nitrogen . Stating that if you have a poor pollination and you are only going to produce 2,000kg / ha you won ’ t
In A Nutshell - Summer 2022 Vol 23 Issue 4
Professor Patrick Brown , above and right , gave growers a wealth of expert tips on how to do more to support their orchards with less inputs .
increase your crop size by providing the tree with the resources for 3,000kg / ha . This is where you can therefore save that extra cost . In making this decision you also need to consider the variability of cropload within the orchard , to try and get a best fit . Prof Brown also settled the concern of growers of not meeting the early nutritional demands of the tree due to the wet weather causing growers to not be able to fertigate . He stated the tree only starts to use applied
nutrition after 70 per cent leaf out which is in early September . Until this point the tree is utilising the reserves that it has put away . From this time until early November the tree will have used 55 per cent of its total requirements and 77 per cent by early December . Prof Brown ' s extensive knowledge of almond production was demonstrated by his in-depth analysis and explanation throughout his engaging presentation , which was very well received by the audience .