Almond: Domestication, Germplasm, Drought Stress Tolerance and Genetic Improvement Perspectives
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Date
2026-04-17
Authors
Distefano, GaetanoKodad, Ossama
Inzirillo, Ilaria
Allach, Khaoula
Catalano, Chiara
Luca, Leonardo Paul
Ruiz Artiga, Virginia
Espiau Ramírez, María Teresa
Grimplet, Jérôme
Bielsa Pérez, Beatriz
Erami, Meryem
Uzun, Aydin
El Yaacoubi, Adnane
Rubio Cabetas, María José
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MDPI
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artículo de revisiónAbstract
Almond (Prunus dulcis (Mill.) D.A. Webb) is one of the most economically important nut crops worldwide, valued for its nutritional properties and adaptability to diverse agroecological environments. This review summarizes current knowledge on almond domestication, genetic diversity, production trends, and improvement strategies, with a focus on drought tolerance under climate change. Archaeobotanical and molecular evidence indicate central Asia and the eastern Mediterranean as key centers of origin, where recurrent introgression from wild Prunus species contributed to the high genetic variability of cultivated almond. Global production trends reveal increasing challenges due to prolonged drought, climate variability, and rising water and energy costs, particularly affecting major producers such as the United States. Mediterranean regions are transitioning from traditional low-density orchards to intensive systems, where cultivar and rootstock choice are crucial for sustainability. Self-fertile and late-blooming cultivars improve yield stability, while interspecific hybrid rootstocks enhance water use efficiency and tolerance to drought and poor soils. Drought stress impacts almond physiology and yield, although moderate deficit irrigation can maintain productivity and improve kernel quality. Future improvement relies on germplasm conservation, marker-assisted selection, and genomic tools to develop climate-resilient cultivars integrated with sustainable water management strategies.
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Bibliographic citation
Distefano, G., Kodad, O., Inzirillo, I., Allach, K., Catalano, C., Luca, L. P., Ruiz Artiga, V., Espiau Ramírez, M. T., Grimplet, J., Bielsa, B., Erami, M., Uzun, A., El Yaacoubi, A., & Rubio-Cabetas, M. J. (2026). Almond: Domestication, Germplasm, Drought Stress Tolerance and Genetic Improvement Perspectives. Horticulturae, 12(4), 493. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae12040493
AGROVOC subjects
Prunus dulcisDiversidad genética (recurso)
Elección de variedades
Portainjerto
Mejora genética
Resistencia a la sequía
Marcadores moleculares
Sponsorship
Esta investigación ha sido financiada por el proyecto PRIMA MEDPOMESTONE «Valorización de la variabilidad del germoplasma de algunas frutas de pepita y de hueso para garantizar la resiliencia al cambio climático en la zona mediterránea» (ID 1680).