In recent years, almond trees have become a sanctuary for new investors, given new, more profitable varieties, their hardiness and new hyper-intensive planting frameworks. However, despite this, varieties like the Almond Tree Guara they continue to be the leaders in cultivated area, and show very high grain yield, hardiness and rapid production. The almond tree of the Guara variety, which has developed over the years and some of which are still predicted, has great characteristics and cultivates crops that give a productive advantage in many countries such as the United States (the king of almond trees) and Spain, where the area of this crop is increasing.
For this reason, we are going to dedicate this article to telling you everything you need to know about the guara almond tree, its characteristics and its cultivation.
Contents
main Features
The history of the Guara almond tree goes back to the good years in which this variety of cultivation was obtained. CITA d’Aragon was the developer of the variety in 1983 and It is currently one of the most planted and productive varieties.
The Asian guara almond spread throughout Spain in the 1980s and 1990s and is one of the most widely grown plants in the region due to its drought resistance and abundant production of ‘almonds. Its positioning in Spain is successful because it is a plant that does not require much care and only produces what is necessary. The Guara almond has a pleasant sweetness that makes it an iconic dessert and pastry in Spain and other countries.
In this breed, 2 very important things are sought:
- Resistance to water stress and good adaptation to drought
- High productivity, peak performance and quick start-up
Indeed, point 1 means that more than 50% of the rainfed area in Spain is currently occupied by this Guara almond tree. In areas without water, productivity is significantly reduced compared to the area with water supply, but many areas of Spain do not have water or irrigation facilities, but thanks to this crop they can be cultivated.
Advantages and disadvantages of the guara almond tree
Advantage:
- Variety it is very drought tolerant and suitable for rain-fed agriculture.
- Inbred species that do not need pollinators
- Very high fruit quality, yield and specific gravity.
- Quick start of production in the first years
- Homogenization of production at all events.
Disadvantages:
- Varieties that branch out a lot and complicate pruning
- Sensitive to ocher stain
- Susceptibility to Monilia
Productivity of the guara almond tree
Flowering is determined by region and accumulated cold weather. Guara almond trees generally bloom from late February to mid-March. these dates are considered agronomically late.
The almond harvest takes place in late August and early September, depending on the heat and temperature of the summer harvest. If we compare the main varieties of late-blooming almond trees, we see that Guara is one of the varieties with the highest percentage (%) of shell/kernel yield.
Despite promising new varieties, Guara remains in the lead, with an average yield of between 35 and 40%. On the other hand, in terms of the average weight of the nugget, it is in the middle of the pack, with an average of 1.3 g, but the quality is very good.
On the other hand, the new varieties obtained aim to minimize the yield of double seeds, in this case the Guara almond tree being the variety with the highest yield. Productivity is a function of the parameter that has the greatest impact on a crop, namely access to water. In the case of an almond tree from Guara, a minimum of 3,000 to 3,500 m3/ha of water can produce an average of 2 tons of nuts.
This crop is sensitive to water availability and its yield increases exponentially with availability. In fact, in some areas of Castilla-La Mancha, its supply exceeds 8,000 m3/ha, with unprecedented record yields. On the other hand, the average yield of guara almond trees is 1500 kg or less. due to insufficient water supply with less than 2000 m3/ha. Keep in mind that it is a late bloomer, so it is usually planted in interior areas susceptible to late frosts, as the flower is the most sensitive part to temperature changes and cold.
Cultivated
The Guara almond tree It is not distinguished by a different planting frame or growing conditions from other varieties. In irrigated plantations, the diameter of its branches can be quite large and must be taken into account, especially when there is a tendency to open the branches more aggressively than the other options.
The most vigorous varieties have planting frames of 7×6 (238 trees/ha) or 7×7 (204 trees/ha). However, we classify Guara varieties (as well as Tarraco, Marinada or Lauranne) with a somewhat smaller planting frame with a spacing of 6×6 (277 trees/ha) or 6×5 (333 trees/ha).
One of the biggest problems with the guara almond tree is that it is a highly branched tree.. This means real pruning experts are needed to achieve decent yields. For this reason, training pruning in guara is very important and necessary from the early stages of growth.
One of the most important considerations when pruning is to keep the buds inside, so branch width is a trend, although this will affect the frame of the planter. So when the branches are full of fruit, the risks of cracking or splitting are considerably reduced.
With trellising pruning, the length of these branches can also be controlled during the first 3 years of growth, as guara almond trees tend to lengthen these branches considerably. Through pruning, we reduce its volume and control production in the lower part of the tree.
I hope with this information you can learn more about the guara almond tree and its characteristics.