Abstract
Climate change and reduced water availability increasingly threaten agricultural productivity, especially in Mediterranean regions facing recurrent drought and irrigation restrictions. This study assessed several agronomic strategies to mitigate the effects of extreme drought and limited irrigation on almond trees, as well as their carry-over impacts into the following season. In 2023, six treatments were applied: (i) Rainfed (no irrigation from mid-May); (ii) Control (~ 1100 m³/ha of water from May to November); (iii) Tree Shaker (Control-level irrigation + mechanical nut thinning); (iv) Disc Pruning (Control-level irrigation + spring canopy reduction); (v) Kaolin (Control-level irrigation + three foliar applications); and (vi) Nut Thinning (Control-level irrigation + manual thinning). Physiological traits, phenology, yield, and evapotranspiration (via remote sensing) were monitored. Rainfed trees, receiving only 22% of crop water needs and reaching stem water potentials of − 4.0 MPa, showed the worst performance: 92% yield loss and 42% tree mortality. Among irrigated treatments, Control and Kaolin had the highest yields in 2023 but declined significantly in 2024 due to carry-over stress effects. In contrast, Disc Pruning showed the greatest improvements in water status throughout the season. Cumulative kernel yield over both years was strongly correlated with integrated stem water potential (R² = 0.87), underscoring the importance of maintaining tree water status. Overall, Disc Pruning and Tree Shaker emerged as promising strategies to sustain almond productivity under extreme drought conditions.
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Claims 11
Claim · model-written summary
Rainfed almond trees lost 92% of yield.
- Taxon
- almond
Prunus dulcist0 - Treatment
- Rainfede0
- Outcome
- yield losse0
- Direction
- losse0
- Value
- 92%e0
- Qualifier
- 22% of crop water needse0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Rainfed trees, receiving only 22% of crop water needs and reaching stem water potentials of − 4.0 MPa, showed the worst performance: 92% yield loss and 42% tree mortality.”
t0“almond”
Claim · model-written summary
Rainfed almond trees had 42% mortality.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Rainfed trees, receiving only 22% of crop water needs and reaching stem water potentials of − 4.0 MPa, showed the worst performance: 92% yield loss and 42% tree mortality.”
t0“almond”
Claim · model-written summary
Rainfed trees reached stem water potentials of − 4.0 MPa.
- Taxon
- almondPrunus dulcist0
- Treatment
- Rainfede0
- Outcome
- stem water potentialse0
- Value
- − 4.0 MPae0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Rainfed trees, receiving only 22% of crop water needs and reaching stem water potentials of − 4.0 MPa”
t0“almond”
Claim · model-written summary
Control irrigation produced among the highest almond yields in 2023.
- Taxon
- almondPrunus dulcist0
- Treatment
- Controle0
- Outcome
- yields in 2023e0
- Direction
- higheste0
- Comparator
- irrigated treatmentse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Among irrigated treatments, Control and Kaolin had the highest yields in 2023 but declined significantly in 2024 due to carry-over stress effects.”
t0“almond”
Claim · model-written summary
Kaolin produced among the highest almond yields in 2023.
- Taxon
- almondPrunus dulcist0
- Treatment
- Kaoline0
- Outcome
- yields in 2023e0
- Direction
- higheste0
- Comparator
- irrigated treatmentse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Among irrigated treatments, Control and Kaolin had the highest yields in 2023 but declined significantly in 2024 due to carry-over stress effects.”
t0“almond”
Claim · model-written summary
Control treatment yields declined significantly in 2024.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Among irrigated treatments, Control and Kaolin had the highest yields in 2023 but declined significantly in 2024 due to carry-over stress effects.”
t0“almond”
Claim · model-written summary
Kaolin treatment yields declined significantly in 2024.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Among irrigated treatments, Control and Kaolin had the highest yields in 2023 but declined significantly in 2024 due to carry-over stress effects.”
t0“almond”
Claim · model-written summary
Disc Pruning showed the greatest improvements in almond water status throughout the season.
- Taxon
- almondPrunus dulcist0
- Treatment
- Disc Pruninge0
- Outcome
- water statuse0
- Direction
- improvementse0
- Qualifier
- throughout the seasone0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“In contrast, Disc Pruning showed the greatest improvements in water status throughout the season.”
t0“almond”
Claim · model-written summary
Cumulative kernel yield was strongly correlated with integrated stem water potential, R² = 0.87.
- Taxon
- almondPrunus dulcist0
- Organ / stage
- kernele0
- Outcome
- Cumulative kernel yielde0
- Value
- R² = 0.87e0
- Qualifier
- integrated stem water potentiale0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Cumulative kernel yield over both years was strongly correlated with integrated stem water potential (R² = 0.87)”
t0“almond”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors identify Disc Pruning as a promising strategy to sustain almond productivity under extreme drought.
- Taxon
- almondPrunus dulcise0
- Treatment
- Disc Pruninge0
- Outcome
- sustain almond productivity under extreme drought conditionse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Overall, Disc Pruning and Tree Shaker emerged as promising strategies to sustain almond productivity under extreme drought conditions.”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors identify Tree Shaker as a promising strategy to sustain almond productivity under extreme drought.
- Taxon
- almondPrunus dulcise0
- Treatment
- Tree Shakere0
- Outcome
- sustain almond productivity under extreme drought conditionse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Overall, Disc Pruning and Tree Shaker emerged as promising strategies to sustain almond productivity under extreme drought conditions.”
The same questions in other papers
kaolin · yield · Prunus dulcis (almond)Results differ
1 paper in the same direction as this paper · 2 in the opposite direction
- no effect
- no effect
- positive
Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.