Almond Harvesting 2010-Kico Lin (1 &2 ) Ranch, Chuck Almond, DLJ, DL8

A successful harvest begins with a clean, dry orchard floor. Harvest should begin as soon as the crop is mature to avoid exposure to a third flight of navel orangeworm.

After the crop is shaken to the ground, they are raked into windrows and allowed to dry, ideally to a moisture content of 5-8%, which can take anywhere from a few days up to two weeks. A harvest sample taken after shaking and before the crop is windrowed will provide a progress report of that season's IPM program, and will indicate what pests are in the orchard to help determine the management activities for the next year.

Pickup machines sweep the windrows into carts or trailers for transportation to the huller/sheller. With the large crops of recent years, it has become more and more common for almonds to be stockpiled, either in the orchard or at the huller/shellers. To avoid insect damage, stockpiles should be monitored and fumigated as necessary. Stockpiled almonds are also susceptible to growth of the fungi that cause the contaminant aflatoxin, and should be monitored for moisture and temperature and managed to prevent moisture buildup.

Hulled and shelled nuts are then transported to processing facilities, where they are stored pending further processing. Periodic fumigation may be necessary to control insects in stored almonds, depending on the duration of storage and storage conditions.

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Education

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• Chuck Almond
• DLJ
• DL8