Weather an issue as set is down 18%
-July 3,2019-
California’s 2019 almond production is forecast at 2.20 billion meat pounds, down 12.0 percent from May’s subjective forecast and down 3.5 percent from last year’s crop. The forecast is based on 1.17 million bearing acres. Production for the Nonpareil variety is forecast at 880 million meat pounds, down 1.3 percent from last year’s deliveries. The Nonpareil variety represents 40 percent of California’s total almondproduction.
The 2019 almond crop experienced unusual weather. Significant rainfall during the bloom hindered pollination. Strong winds were reported to have damaged trees and knocked off some nuts. Instances of rain persisted through April and May, prompting concerns about disease pressure and warranting extra fungal applications. Cooler than average temperatures have continued throughout the growing season and the crop development is about a week behind last year.
The average nut set per tree is 4,667, down 17.8 percent from 2018. The Nonpareil average nut set of 4,429 is down 10.1 percent from lastyear’s set of 4,924. The average kernel weight for all varieties sampled was 1.54 grams, unchanged from the 2018 average weight. The Nonpareil average kernel weight was 1.63, down 4.1 percent from last year. A total of 98.7 percent of all nuts sized were sound.