Design, Plant and Manage 20 Acres of Almonds in Modesto, CA By Louie Ott Agriculture System Management BioResource and Agriculture Engineering Department California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo 2010 TITLE : Design, Plant and Manage 20 Acres of Almonds in Modesto, CA AUTHOR : Louie Ott DATE SUBMITTED : June 1, 2010 Senior Project Advisor Signature DDaattee Department Head Signature Signature Date ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First, I would like to my father, Louie Ott Sr., for the advice and information to make this project possible. Without him none of this could have been possible. Second, I would like to Dr. Cavaletto for his support and guidance through my senior project and career at Cal Poly. iii ABSTRACT To develop the most efficient method to plant a 20 acre block of Almonds. Taking into account all matters and deciding how to earn the most profit. The project includes: removal of old almond field, preparation of field, planting the correct varieties of trees for that meet the requirements, decide and install a correct irrigation system, how to manage the field, harvest, pruning, and more. The result will be how much it cost to plant a field of 20 acres, how to correctly mange it, and how long until a profit may be seen. It will take into account current prices and what the future holds. The first phase of the senior project is to take into account the location of the 20 acre block, and define the soil type, climate, and other factors that affect almond productivity. Compare the results to other samples to find what best fits in the area of development. The second phase will consist of removing the old orchard and the correct way to prepare a field. This will include cost, and different methods of filed preparation change the production outcome on time and cost. The third phase will be to find the correct trees for the climate and pollination, also deciding what nursery can best suit the needs of the field. The fourth phase will be planting the field and correctly managing it to see a profit in the future. All will end with an evaluation of the best methods to earn the most profit in shortest amount of time. The results of this project concluded: a drip irrigation system would be, the ground would be fumigated, tree varieties would be Nonpareil (50%) Carmel (25%) and Butte (25%), rootstocks variety is Nemaguard, with a planting and spacing of 17 feet by 21 feet to have 122 trees per acre. The following report consists of how these choices were found and the cost indicated throughout the process. iv Disclaimer Statement The university makes it clear that the information forwarded herewith is a project resulting from a class assignment and has been graded and accepted only as a fulfillment of a course requirement. Acceptance by the university does not imply technical accuracy or reliability. Any use of the information in this report is made by the user(s) at his/her own risk, which may include catastrophic failure of the device or infringement of patent or copyright laws, Therefore, the recipient and/or user of the information contained in this report agrees to indemnify, defend and save harmless the State its officers, agents, and employees from any and all claims and losses accruing or resulting to any person, firm, or corporation who may be injured or damaged as a result of the use of this report. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Page SIGNATURE PAGE ...................................................................................................................... ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................................................................................................. iii ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................... iv DISCLAIMER STATEMENT ........................................................................................................v LIST OF FIGURES ...................................................................................................................... vii LIST OF TABLES ....................................................................................................................... viii INTRODUCTION ...........................................................................................................................1 LITERATUER REVIEW ................................................................................................................2 PROCEDUERS AND METHODS................................................................................................20 RESULTS ......................................................................................................................................25 DISCUSSION ................................................................................................................................30 RECOMMENDATIONS ...............................................................................................................32 REFERENCES ..............................................................................................................................33 APPENDICES Appendix A: .......................................................................................................................35 vi LIST OF FIGURES Page 1. Planting options ................................................................................................................10 2. Second Year Pruning .........................................................................................................14 3. Et Loss ...............................................................................................................................15 4. Monoboom Shaker .............................................................................................................18 5. Side Shaker ........................................................................................................................18 6. Sweeper ..............................................................................................................................18 7. Harvester ............................................................................................................................18 vii LIST OF TABLES Page 1. Soil Preparation Details .......................................................................................................3 2. Irrigation .............................................................................................................................5 3. Almond Variety ..................................................................................................................6 4. Rootstocks ...........................................................................................................................8 5. Plant spacing/trees per acre ...............................................................................................10 6. Pruning (Hand vs. Mechanical) .........................................................................................14 7. Pest and Disease .................................................................................................................16 viii 1 INTRODCTION The purpose for this project is to find the most efficient way to grow almonds trees. The project is taking place at 2948 Stone Ave, Modesto CA on a lot of twenty acres. Currently the lot has eighteen year old carmel/nonpareil trees with flood irrigation and the option of sprinklers. The current sprinkler system is not effective due to the age and reliability of the system. The lot has almond trees surrounding the north and east sides, a bluff to the south, and the west side backs Stone road. Also the property has a main gas line running through the field therefore all operations must take that into consideration. The soil of the lot has been identify as a sandy loam with packs of hard pan throughout the field ranging in depths of five fee and deeper. The reason this operation needs to be accomplished is because the current field is not efficient. The current trees are old in age which leads to a reduction in yield qualities each year. Also the Carmel trees have a bad disease known as “crazy top” which reduces almonds on each tree. The field also has not been replanted for a number of years therefore there are a large number of trees that are missing resulting in a low number of pounds per acre. Lastly the trees were planted on a large scale spread resulting in very poor pounds per acre. The goal of this project is to properly replant and manage the field in the most efficient way. This will involve a number of steps and operations done correctly and in a timely matter. First develop an efficient method to plant a 20 acre block of Almonds. Taking into account all matters and deciding the best method to earn the most profit. Which includes removal of field, preparation of field, planting the correct varieties for best pollination, correct irrigation system, how to manage the field, harvest, pruning, and more. The result will be how much it cost to plant a field of 20 acres, how to correctly mange it, and how long until a profit may be seen. It will take into account current prices and what the future holds. The first step is to remove the old trees via a third party, followed up soil preparation. The soil preparation that will occur is based on need and effectiveness. Fumigation will also be used to kill off all soil disease and pest. After the soil is properly prepared: tress, plant spacing, irrigation, and more will have to be determined. The end result will be a field of almond trees that will result in the best possible yield year after year for a twenty year potential life span. All will end with an evaluation of the best methods to earn the most profit in shortest amount of time. 2 LITERATURE REVIEW History: A search was initiated to identify any items that involve the process of growing almond tree to their full potential. This includes methods of existing filed preparation to what irrigation systems best suits the trees during their life span. The purpose of this search is to find current information on what system/method of planting and raising almonds trees is the most successful. Based on the literature results found and real world data from growers and the industry a management plan will be put together which will result in the most effect method to grow almonds. This will lead to improvement in production yields which leads to a larger profit and a year to year basis. With so many factors affecting each almond field, it is sometimes hard to run one to the max point of efficiency. Almond growers work on a daily basis to make sure their almond trees have all the necessary tools to produce an abundant supply of almonds. There are five main categories that the Almond Board (2009) says an almond tree needs to grow efficiently. • Sunlight: The light from the sun gives almond trees energy which aids in the photosynthesis process. • Water: Trees need lots of water to keep growing; they also use water when converting nutrients. • Air: Plants breathe, but they breathe through their leaves and roots. This process is called transpiration. • Nutrients: Many nutrients are already naturally occurring in the soil. However, growers must add fertilizers and compost to assist the tree in helping produce a good crop. • Soil: Healthy, loosely-packed, nutrient-rich soil is important for plant health. Soil Preparation: With increased pressure on planting almonds on less optimum soil, cost of planting, and replanting various lots; it becomes critical to insure the planting environment is the best as it can possibly be. If the planted or replanted almonds trees have a good start they will continue to grow well producing good yields. But if the trees have a problem in their first year, the trees will be stunted and will not grow properly for a long period of time. The trees may or may not grow out of the problem, which means growers should put the extra effort in site preparation. When replanting a field, one has a couple of options after removing the old trees. Normally all roots and various other materials are removed from the field. This will allow for future equipment to work properly without roots and material messing the equipment up. In most cases of field removal, after the trees are removed via third party, a dozer is called in to rip the soil, see table 1.This takes a larger dozer (Caterpillar size D8-D11) so