Meet The ‘Almond Doctor’

David Doll

David Doll

American/Western Fruit Grower works with expert contributors throughout the country to bring you information specific to your crops and growing regions. David Doll, University of California orchard nut crop farm advisor (aka, the “Almond Doctor”), is one of our regular contributors on topics related to almonds, pistachios, and walnuts. We caught up with him for a preview of what you can expect to learn from him in the coming year.

Q: What research do you have on tap for the coming year?
Doll: My team has a full plate for the 2015 year. This past winter, we established two new replant trials within almond in which we are studying various soil fumigants and fumigant alternatives on Prunus Replant Disease and plant parasitic nematodes. We also are working on a water yield project in which we are trying to determine the maximal water use efficiency, or “crop per drop.” Finally, we are looking at a group of fungal diseases that are becoming more prevalent within tree nuts and determining epidemiology and plant protection methods.

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Q: What are some of the biggest challenges almond growers will face in 2015?
Doll: The drought — if it continues — or the lingering effects of the drought, which may show as increasing salinity within the root zones, and weak crop set from shorted post-harvest irrigations.

Q: Where do the greatest opportunities lie for almond growers in the coming year?
Doll: “Bringing home” the new crop. The market is good (some say great), and being able to maximize yields with all of the compounding production challenges will bring economic sustainability to farm operations. It’s no easy task, as we have no idea what the weather will bring.

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Q: Is there anything you’d like to share with American/Western Fruit Grower readers?
Doll:
Although some of the UC Cooperative Extension offices celebrated their 100-year anniversary this past year, many of the San Joaquin and Sacramento offices will be hitting their 100th anniversary over the next few years. We are thankful that farmers continually provide support through request of farm visits, meeting attendance and access to on-farm research. Without the teamwork over the past century, the development of the California agricultural industries would have been slower.

In addition to his regular columns in American/Western Fruit Grower, you can follow Doll’s research and observations at http://thealmonddoctor.com/.

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