Tree – Small to medium sized tree with a spreading, open canopy, usually 4-5 meters in commercial orchards. The tree can live up to 50 years when irrigated and 20-25 in non-irrigated orchard.
Leaves are linear or slightly ovate, about 3-4 times longer than wide, with acute tips and finely serrate margins. Leaves are 7.5-12.5 cm in length, slightly smaller and less folded along the midrib than peach leaves.
Flowers are borne laterally on spurs or short lateral branches, or sometimes laterally on long shoots as in peach, particularly in younger trees. Flowering on basal spurs of 4-6 yr old wood gradually declines, since terminals fail to grow out when many flowers per spur set fruit; hence older limbs become unfruitful and are pruned out. Flower buds are identified as rounded shape while the vegetative ones have a sharp shape. The determination between the two is done during summer time.
Root – Big root system, one major root and secondary horizontal system that will stay shallow in heavy soil (60 cm) and deeper in light soils. The almond’s roots have high sensitivity to water logging.
Fruit – A nut. The entire fruit including the hull is a drupe; however, the hull dries and splits prior to harvest, revealing what appears to be the pit of the fruit. Botanically, this pit with the kernel inside fits the definition of a nut (dry, indehiscent fruit with a hard shell). Fruiting begins at 3-4 years old trees, with maximal production in 6-10 years; almond trees can produce more than 50 years. Thinning is unnecessary, poor setting will be referred as 20%, average as 30-40% and very good as 60% (affected by internal nutrient balance); a high proportion of flowers must set fruit for normal cropping. Fruit setting will not occur in temperatures below 12 c°, high wind speed.
The fruit growth has two stages:
- Very intensive growth that follows the flower fertilization (Starts 15-20 days after the peak of the flowering and continues eight more weeks).
- Stoppage of the outer part growing and intensive development of the seed.
Fruits can drop due to the following reasons:
- Insufficient chilling – disordered awakening and degenerate flowers.
- Frost damages.
- Bad weather which interrupts insect and bee pollination.
