The almond tree (Prunus dulcis) is a domesticated stone tree, typical of Mediterranean regions, with great economic, environmental, cultural and social importance in Portugal, even becoming a characteristic of the landscape and one of the main sources of income in some regions of the country. The Alentejo region is currently responsible for about 70% of the national almond production, with a growing trend expected in the coming years.
Almond cultivation is affected by numerous pathogens, some traditionally associated with it, but recently new disease-causing agents have been detected that are still unknown in the crop, but which are thought to cause significant production losses and premature plant death. This situation has led to the need for replanting, sometimes extensive, and treatments with pesticides, with a consequent increase in costs and impact on crop management.
Large areas of almond orchards have been established in regions where other crops traditionally predominated, such as vineyards and olive groves, crops susceptible to a range of pathogens that now find a new crop, adapting and causing new diseases not yet described for the almond tree.
This project aims to reduce the incidence of diseases in the various stages of production, through in-depth knowledge, diagnosis, and monitoring of almond tree diseases, from the nursery production phase, through commercial orchards, to the post-harvest phase.
