Effective Pollination Period in Almond Cultivars

In almond [ Prunus dulcis (Mill.) D.A. Webb], a high flower density and fruit set rate is important, because yield increases with higher fruit set ratio. Furthermore, because the ovule of some cultivars mature at anthesis, rapid pollination and pollen tube growth along the style are essential to ensure fertilization of a viable ovule. In this work, we studied the effective pollination period (EPP) of four almond cultivars of different bloom time by studying pollen tube growth and fruit set. EPP in almond was longer than in other fruit trees, and its duration was determined by stigma receptivity, which decreased with high temperature. An acceptable fruit set for all cultivars was obtained following pollination from day 0 to day 4 after emasculation.