Episode 77: Almond Genetics and Variety Development with Chuck Fleck

Chuck Fleck joined the Journey to discusses the latest in almond genetics and variety development. Fleck is the director of horticulture research at Sierra Gold Nurseries. During this conversation, he shares his journey into breeding almonds and almond rootstocks, what’s driving his breeding program and what excites him about the future of almond genetics. Fleck also discusses a project with Ohalo using gene editing technology to create a self-fertile nonpareil almond tree.

“Nonpareil is the industry standard, but what if other items can come along and create a new industry standard, giving growers more options and not just different versions of the same old options they've got.” - Chuck Fleck

In Today’s episode:

• Meet Chuck Fleck, the director of horticulture research at Sierra Gold Nurseries
• Discover the process of evaluating different rootstocks and the amount of time it takes to produce results
• Explore the advancements being made to create a self-fertile nonpareil almond tree

Check out the Almond Variety Considerations Page as a resource for picking the best variety for your operation and register for the Regional Variety Trial Field Days coming up in April and May.

The Almond Journey Podcast is brought to you by the Almond Board of California. This show explores how growers, handlers, and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Host Tim Hammerich visits with leaders throughout the Central Valley of California and beyond who are finding innovative ways to improve their operations, connect with their communities, and advance the almond industry.

ABC recognizes the diverse makeup of the California almond industry and values contributions offered by its growers, handlers, and allied industry members. However, the opinions, services and products discussed in existing and future podcast episodes are by no means an endorsement or recommendation from ABC. The Almond Journey podcast is not an appropriate venue to express opinions on national, state, local or industry politics. As a Federal Marketing Order, the Almond Board of California is prohibited from lobbying or advocating on legislative issues, as well as setting field and market prices.