Production efficiency based land-use planning for almond - A new modus operandi

Abstract

A clear perception of the production efficiency of land is necessary for its management, planning, and development. On-site experimentation for determining the production efficiency and land aptness of a site for a perennial crop, such as almond, is not feasible. The lack of planning and management, low profitability, and lack of awareness of land apt-ness have caused the substitution of the almond crop by other crops in the cold humid regions of north-west Himalayas. Considering the aforementioned challenges, the present investigation was carried out to develop an efficient methodology to prevent any substitution of the almond crop. Materials and meth-ods – Twenty standardized indicator parameters, in-cluding soil, plant variety (traditional or improved), climatic, and geographic parameters were used to de-velop and evaluate the relative production efficiency index (RPEIa) for almond. This index was further used to generate models for land use planning and yield prediction of almond. Results and discussion – The reasons for substitution were determined through exhaustive surveys,and on the basis of these reasons, a methodology focusing on production efficiency was developed. A new methodology to standardize the indicator parameters influencing fruit yield was de-veloped. Furthermore, RPEIa-based empirical models for land-use planning and yield prediction were de-veloped. The sustainability yield index was computed and its relationship with the RPEIa was determined. Conclusion – The indices and models developed in the present investigation should facilitate the production efficiency evaluation of an area, provide a yield pre-diction and a land-use planning for the almond crop.