Mallorca tests 9 almond lines as water runs short

Mallorca is set to test nine experimental almond-tree lines at the Sa Granja experimental farm as it looks for trees that can still produce well with less water. Three new lines — D01-193, D01-263 and D11-420 — are due to join the trials under an agreement approved on Monday. The deal with the Centre for Soil Science and Applied Biology of the Segura, part of the Spanish National Research Council, still needs to be signed.

The three lines come from the centre’s breeding programme and performed well in the first selection stages. They are now being tested in different growing areas before any possible release as commercial varieties.

What the Mallorca trials will track

With the additions, the Institute for Agrifood and Fisheries Research and Training, Irfap, will study nine experimental almond selections from three of Spain’s main breeding programmes. Researchers will follow when the trees flower, how much they yield, the quality of the almonds and, above all, how they respond when water is scarce.

Agriculture Minister Joan Simonet said the aim was not simply to find a higher-yielding tree. Mallorca needs almond trees able to produce well locally despite lower water availability.

Results for future plantations

A line that performs well elsewhere in Spain will not necessarily do the same in the Balearics, Simonet said. The Sa Granja trials are intended to show which trees are suited to Mallorca’s own conditions.

Over the coming years, the findings can be passed on to farmers to help them weigh up which material may be most suitable for future almond plantations. Simonet said testing the trees locally and gathering the data would give the sector more tools for the future.

Topics: Agriculture · Politics

Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com