Climate change, and specifically global temperature increase, is expected to alter plant phenology. Temperate deciduous fruit trees have cultivar-specific chill and heat requirements to break dormancy and bloom. In this study, we aimed to estimate chill and heat requirements (in chill portions, CP, and growing degree hours, GDH, respectively) of 25 almond (30–36 years) and 12 apple (14–26 years) cultivars grown under a Mediterranean climate. The set included early and late blooming genotypes. Long-term phenological and temperature records were analyzed by means of partial least squares (PLS) regression. The main difference between early and late genotypes was chill requirement, ranging from 8.40 CP of early genotypes to 55.41 CP of extra-late genotypes. However, as chill requirements are quite easily attained by all almond cultivars in this study, year-to-year variations in actual blooming dates for each genotype are governed by variability of mean forcing temperatures. In contrast, different chill and heat combinations resulted in similar mean blooming dates for the studied apple cultivars. Mean temperature in both chilling and forcing phases determined their blooming time in the location studied. Overlaps and gaps between both phases were obtained. Despite some limitations, the PLS analysis has proven to be a useful tool to define both chilling and forcing phases. Nevertheless, since the delineation of these phases determine the total amount of CP and GDH, further efforts are needed to investigate the transition of these phases.

Evolution of almond planted area and production has been mainly due to the arrival of new cultivars and rootstocks that have contributed to improve agronomic characters such as yield, precocity and efficiency. In recent years, are becoming available new cultivars that have contributed to provide late blooming time and self-fertility, and with ease to adapt for mechanical harvest and high-density. However, there is scarcity of studies where the interaction of these new cultivars with hybrid rootstocks has been tested. The aim of this study was to assess the performance of Cadaman ® , Garnem ® , INRA GF-677, IRTA-1, IRTA-2, Ishtara ® , Adesoto, Rootpac ® 20, Rootpac ® 40, and Rootpac ® R rootstocks with two promising almond cultivars such as 'Marinada' and 'Vairo'. Bloom and nut ripening dates were affected by rootstock genotype. Both 'Marinada' and 'Vairo' cultivars showed low biennial bearing, with some differences among rootstocks, with IRTA-2 and Adesoto inducing the lowest values. On the other hand, Adesoto had higher number of suckers than the rest of the rootstocks. Garnem ® provided the biggest trees, followed by Cadaman ® , and then a third group which comprised IRTA-2 and INRA GF-677. Rootpac ® 20 was the most dwarfing rootstock, followed by IRTA-1, Adesoto, Ishtara ® , Rootpac ® R, and Rootpac ® 40. In terms of yield efficiency and partitioning index, IRTA-1, INRA GF-677, and Rootpac ® R were the ones with higher values. Differences in tree volume and vigor for these rootstocks suggested that INRA GF-677 would be a suitable rootstock for low-medium planting densities with wide spacings; whereas Rootpac ® R and IRTA-1 would be suitable rootstocks for medium-and high-density 2 plantings. Findings of this study showed dramatic differences in tree vigor, yield, kernel weight, yield efficiency, and partitioning index, which provide a wide range of options to deem for each cultivar in a particular climate and management.

Red leaf blotch (RLB) of almond, caused by Polystigma amygdalinum, is an important foliar disease of this nut tree in the Mediterranean basin and Middle East regions. In recent years, the incidence of this disease has increased in Spain corresponding to increases in the area of newly-planted orchards and the use of susceptible cultivars. In 2009, an experimental orchard including 21 almond cultivars was planted at Les Borges Blanques, Lleida, NE Spain. No fungicide treatments were applied during the 10-year experimental period (2009-2018) in order to allow natural disease development. Cultivar susceptibility to RLB was assessed each year, from 2011 to 2018, through visual observations of symptoms in naturally-infected trees. The experimental results led us to classify the cultivars into five susceptibility groups. The most susceptible were 'Tarraco', 'Guara', 'Tuono', 'Marinada', 'Desmayo Largueta', and 'Soleta', whereas 'Mardía' was the most tolerant. The annual incidence of disease was positively correlated with accumulated rainfall in spring, and especially in April, while it was negatively correlated with high spring and summer temperatures, especially in May. These findings could be used to improve disease management strategies by identifying the most susceptible cultivars and improving the timing of fungicide application.

Two hundred and twenty-five Diaporthe isolates were collected from 2005 to 2019 in almond orchards showing twig cankers and shoot blight symptoms in five different regions across Spain. Multilocus DNA sequence analysis with five loci (ITS, tub, tef-1α, cal and his), allowed the identification of four known Diaporthe species, namely: D. amygdali, D. eres, D. foeniculina and D. phaseolorum. Moreover, a novel phylogenetic species, D. mediterranea, was described. Diaporthe amygdali was the most prevalent species, due to the largest number of isolates (85.3%) obtained from all sampled regions. The second most frequent species was D. foeniculina (10.2%), followed by D. mediterranea (3.6%), D. eres and D. phaseolorum, each with only one isolate. Pathogenicity tests were performed using one-year-old almond twigs cv. Vayro and representative isolates of the different species. Except for D. foeniculina and D. phaseolorum, all Diaporthe species were able to cause lesions significantly different from those developed on the uninoculated controls. Diaporthe mediterranea caused the most severe symptoms. These results confirm D. amygdali as a key pathogen of almonds in Spain. Moreover, the new species, D. mediterranea, should also be considered as a potential important causal agent of twig cankers and shoot blight on this crop.

No abstract