Deficit Irrigation and Its Implications for HydroSOStainable Almond Production

Deficit Irrigation and Its Implications for HydroSOStainable Almond Production

Deficit irrigation (DI) strategies are considered essential in many arid and semi-arid areas of Mediterranean countries for proper water management under drought conditions. This fact is even more necessary in crops such as almond (Prunus dulcis Mill.), which in the last recent years has been progre...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Agronomy (Basel) Vol. 10; no. 11; p. 1632
Main Authors: García-Tejero, Iván Francisco, Lipan, Leontina, Gutiérrez-Gordillo, Saray, Durán Zuazo, Víctor Hugo, Jančo, I., Hernández, F., Cárceles Rodríguez, Belén, Carbonell-Barrachina, Ángel Antonio
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Basel MDPI AG 23-10-2020
Subjects:
Agricultural production
almond quality
Arid regions
Aroma
Competitiveness
Crops
Cultivars
Drought
Flavor
Food quality
Irrigated areas
Irrigation
Kernels
Marketability
Morphology
Organic acids
Parameters
Phenols
Physical properties
Physiology
Plantations
Prunus dulcis
Rain
Semi arid areas
semiarid Mediterranean environment
Sensory evaluation
Sugar
sustainability
Trees
Volatile compounds
Water management
water stress
United States > US
Spain
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Summary:Deficit irrigation (DI) strategies are considered essential in many arid and semi-arid areas of Mediterranean countries for proper water management under drought conditions. This fact is even more necessary in crops such as almond (Prunus dulcis Mill.), which in the last recent years has been progressively introduced in irrigated areas. An essential aspect to be considered would be the ability to improve fruit-quality parameters when DI strategies are imposed, which can boost the final almond price and ensure the sustainability and competitiveness of this crop. This work examines the effects of sustained deficit irrigation (SDI) on three almond cultivars (Marta, Guara, and Lauranne) on parameters related to almond functionality, aroma and sensory profile, which consequently influence its marketability and consumers acceptance. SDI strategies allowed the improvement of physical parameters such as unit weight, kernel length, kernel thickness or color. Moreover, higher total phenolic compounds, organic acids and sugars were found in SDI almonds. Finally, the highest concentrations of volatile compounds were obtained under SDI, this being a clear advantage in relation to almond flavor. Thus, moderate SDI strategy offered relevant improvements in parameters regarding the marketability, by enhancing the final added value of hydroSOStainable almonds with respect to those cultivated under full irrigation conditions.
ISSN:2073-4395
2073-4395
DOI:10.3390/agronomy10111632