Influence of flower density on fruit set rate and production in almond

In this work the relationship between flower density, fruit set and fruit density in four almond cultivars ("Antoneta", "Marta", "Wawona" and "Primorskyi") were studied under different treatments of flower density (100%, 75%, 50% and 25% of the initial number of flowers). The results pointed out that the higher the flower density, the higher the fruit density, until the maximum that the cultivar can bear. Fruit set does not seem to be a reliable indicator of cultivar production, since this parameter is a highly variable characteristic that depends on several factors such as flower density and fertility, efficiency of pollination, nutritional stage of the tree and the maximum capacity of each cultivar to bear a fruit density level.