Survey examines the adoption of perceived best management practices for almond nutrition

Sara E. Lopus, María Paz Santibáñez, Robert H. Beede, Roger A. Duncan, John Edstrom, Franz J. A. Niederholzer, Cary J. Trexler, Patrick H. Brown
2008 California Agriculture  
Fertilizer use in California agriculture has been under recent scrutiny regarding its impacts on air, surface water and groundwater quality. In June 2007, we surveyed almond growers to assess their plant nutrition practices, identify opportunities for improvement, and target research and extension needs. The majority of respondents, particularly those with large almond acreages, used fertigation to apply nitrogen; applied nitrogen coincident with periods of maximal plant demand; and collected
more » ... nual tissue samples for analysis. While the survey results suggested broad compliance with the bestavailable management practices and are likely to indicate good nutrientuse efficiency, they also suggested that growers are uncertain about current practices to monitor orchard nutrient status and would value additional information to enable greater precision in fertilization rates and timing.
doi:10.3733/ca.v064n03p149 fatcat:nn2jzenmh5hdthir5q3fgyys5q