September/October 2024 - 6

IRRIGATION AND WATER MANAGEMENT
Maintaining
grove water
Water quality management in almond orchards
BY KEITH LORIA
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
W
ater quality management
in almond orchards is
important for ensuring a
successful crop.
Mike Wade, executive director of
the California Farm Water Coalition,
noted most efforts focus largely on
controlling salinity and elements,
such as boron, which can be toxic and
problematic at higher levels.
" Optimum water quality for any
crop can help improve efficiency
because crop production is maximized
per unit of applied water, " he said.
Hardeep Singh, food systems advisor
for UC Cooperative Extension, Central
Sierra, said nitrates and salts present in
the water are much of the concern to
the growers and they monitor them by
laboratory testing.
That's why farmers or their PCAs
(pest control advisers) test the water
samples for nitrates, salts, pH and other
biological composition of the water.
Most times, this is part of the annual
package with the PCA/CCA (certified
crop advisers) for all services.
" Growers use the data on nitrates for
nitrogen budgeting and for application
of control measures if there were any
major contaminants in the water, " Singh
said. " Water quality data may sometimes
help with the leaching requirements. "
Emerging technologies
Farmers often collaborate with
universities, agricultural Extension
services and organizations including
the Almond Board of California to
stay updated on best practices and
6 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2024
innovations in water management. Once
a technology is available and affordable,
there is generally widespread adoption.
" With the help of on-farm
demonstration research studies
funded by USDA-NRCS, university
researchers are collaborating with
almond growers on water conservation
practices, " Singh said.
There have been many new
technologies that almond growers have
been experimenting with on water
management issues.
" Nano-filtration and reverse osmosis
are advanced filtration techniques
that can remove salts and other
contaminants from irrigation water,
ensuring high-quality water for almond
orchards, " Wade said, noting some of
the recent advancements.
Variable Rate Irrigation (VRI)
technology enables farmers to apply
water precisely where it is needed in
their almond orchards, reducing water
wastage and ensuring that each part
of the orchard receives the optimal
amount of water.
" Smart irrigation controllers use
data from weather stations and soil
moisture sensors to automatically
adjust irrigation schedules, " Wade said.
" By optimizing irrigation times and
amounts, systems like this help prevent
over-irrigation and reduce runoff that
can affect water quality in other areas. "
It's important that almond growers
intergrade water quality data with
other agronomic factors, such as soil
health and nutrient management, to
optimize overall orchard productivity.
" Precision application of fertilizers,
often through fertigation (injecting
fertilizers into the irrigation system),
is a practice that helps make sure that
nutrients are delivered efficiently
to the plants directly through the
irrigation system, reducing the risk of
nutrient runoff, " Wade said.
Singh is keeping tabs on a grower
who is using AQUA 4D, which he is
testing at his orchard for water quality
monitoring and management.
" According to the company,
AQUA 4D can remove bad minerals,
reduce soil compaction, bacteria and
nematodes in the soil when irrigated
with AQUA 4D treated water, " he said.
Irrigation management
The almond industry has been
improving crop water use efficiency
with more precise irrigation
management, Wade noted.
" With 80% of almond growers using
micro-irrigation, crop water use among
almond growers has declined by 33%
from the 1990s to the 2010s, and the
industry has committed to another 25%
reduction by 2025, " he said.
Singh said that some growers use
regulated deficit irrigation around
almond hull split stage, while others
use ET-based irrigation scheduling
as a guidance with other irrigation
scheduling techniques. He also knows
of one grower using subsurface drip
in almonds that could result in a
considerable amount of water savings.
The California Almond Board offers
a program where growers conduct
September/October 2024

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