Linking Sustainability and Competitiveness of Almond Plantations Under Water Scarcity and Changing Climate

Abstract

Climate change, water resources depletion, or land degradation and abandonment are some constraints to overcome within the new paradigm of achieving competitive and sustainable agriculture. Within the possible strategies, the introduction of drought-tolerant crops with high profitability, and the implementation of water-saving strategies such as deficit irrigation (DI) should be considered. Within the crop possibilities, almond (Prunus dulcis Mill.) would be an excellent alternative under water scarcity and climate change scenarios. However, it is essential to reach an equilibrium between crop management and water availability, defining its water requirements and the relationships between irrigation needs and the agronomical practices. Once done, adaptation strategies to water scarcity should be considered, especially in those cases of lack to cover the total irrigation needs by DI practices. In this agreement, the success of these strategies will depend on the proper knowledge respect to crop phenological development and the assessment of physiological status using different available tools. Thus, different crop physiological responses to water stress will be observed and different taking decisions should be considered. Finally, implementing water-saving strategies will be done not only from the perspective of preserving maximum yields but also for product quality improvements, and hence providing a final added value.