Almonds varieties Francolí

• Breeders’ reference: IRTAMB-A22-120.
• Breeding number (IRTA almond cultivar breeding programme):“22-120”.
• Origin: seedling derived from the cross “FGFD2” x Open pollination, made in 1993 at Mas de Bover (Constantí, Tarragona).
• Protected cultivar: Plant Variety Rights pending from OEVV and CPVO. Temporary protection granted.

Pomological traits

• Tree vigour: vigorous. Its vigour allows to maintain a good balance between production and vegetative growth.
• Foliage density: medium.
• Growth habit: medium-upright.
• Branching density: medium.
• Training and pruning: very easy.
• Nuts location: mainly on spurs, but also on brindles and on one-year old shoots.
• Blooming time: late (similar to “Guara” and “Glorieta”). At Mas de Bover 26 days after “Desmayo Largueta” (average of 12 years of observations).
• S compatibility genotype: S3Sf.
• Pollination: self-fertile cultivar. Cross-pollination unneeded. Self-compatible cultivar, with a good autogamous level (capable to produce in isolated conditions).
• Pollinators: to foster cross-pollination (advisable practice, even for self-fertile cultivars), could be combined in the orchard with “Vairo”, “Glorieta”, “Francolí”, “Guara”, etc.
• Blooming density: high.
• Length of blooming: medium.
• Bearing precocity: precocious.
• Cropping capacity: high-very high.
• Cropping regularity: good. Low alternate bearing.
• Drought tolerance: tolerant.
• Phomopsis amygdali Del.) tolerance:susceptible.
• “Red leaf blotch”(Polystigma ochraceum Whal.)tolerance: tolerant.
• Harvesting season: medium (at the end of August at Mas de Bover).
• Harvesting ease: good. At maturity nuts keep attached to their branches and, when shaking, they drop easily.
• Husking ease: good. The husk is separated easily from the shell.

Commercial traits

• Commercial traits:round.
• Kernel size: medium (1,2 g).
• Shelling percentatge: 30 %.
• Shell texture: hard.
• Double kernels: almost zero(3,7 %).
• Kernel appearance: atractive. Thin clear skin, with some shrinkels.
• Blanched kernel composition: oil: 53,2 %; protein: 23,9 %; soluble sugars: 2,6 %; total fiber: 9,3 %; water: 4,4 %.

Global assessment

“Constantí” shows fair productive capacity, vigorous tree and well adapted to rainfed farming. It is late blooming and self-fertile, with good autogamous level. Easy to train and prune. Produces good kernels. It is tolerant to “red leaf blotch” and susceptible to “fusicoccum”. Cross-pollination can be fostered using “Vairo” or other cultivars having similar blooming dates (“Glorieta”, “Francolí”, “Guara”, etc).