Super intensive almond orchards

Today, almonds are among the most in-demand products in the world, and this demand is increasing year by year. To meet the growing demand, the world’s leading nursery, Agromillora, introduced a super high density (SHD) cultivation approach. After its success with olives, this method was also applied to almonds. As a result of the genetic improvement program, a rootstock called Rootpac 20 was developed, on which the almond tree grows up to 2.8 meters. Unlike traditional almond cultivation, this approach provides many advantages: more seedlings can be planted per hectare, and the process is fully mechanized. An SHD almond orchard comes into full bloom in the fourth year after planting.

Since 2010, the development of SHD almond tree plantations has begun to address the challenges posed by traditional systems. Currently, more than 3,500 hectares of SHD almond orchards are cultivated in countries such as Spain, Portugal, Italy, the USA, Morocco, Tunisia, Chile, Turkey, and now Georgia.

Characteristics of SHD Almond Crops

Cultivation of an SHD orchard using Smarttree.
Rootpac 20, patented by Agromillora, bred by laboratory methods.
High compatibility with traditional almond varieties.
Planting characteristics: 3–3.5 m between rows and 1–1.2 m between seedlings (more
than 2,000 seedlings per hectare).
Planting direction: from north to south.
Harvesting with a combine harvester.
Fully mechanized drilling.

Main Factors

Smarttree is a seedling designed for SHD plantation.
Genetic material: Rootpac 20 is a plum rootstock on which almond cultivars can be
grafted. It is an excellent alternative that ensures low growth, improves yield per hectare,
and simplifies all processes related to maintenance.
Planting pattern 3-3.5 m between rows and 1-1.2 m between seedlings (more than 2000 plants per hectare). One wooden (bamboo) support is needed per seedling.
It is self-pollinating and late-flowering, so it is suitable for regions with frequent early spring frosts.

Advantages:

A fully mechanized process from the moment of planting , which significantly reduces costs and labor.
Harvesting is also fully mechanized , which takes much less time.
In the 3rd year after planting, you get half of the crop, and in the 4th year, it is fully harvested. This is a guarantee of quick withdrawal of the invested investment.
Less labor, which is becoming increasingly scarce and expensive.
Better quality of fruit, which is due to mechanized harvesting. The fruit is picked directly from the tree and not thrown on the ground.
It thrives in relatively salty soil due to its different root system.

Varieties and Blooming Periods

Avichor : blooms late
Guara : blooms late
Soleta : blooms 3 days before Guara
Penta : blooms very late
Vialfas : blooms very late
Bellona : blooms 3 days before Guara