Spanish Almonds Adapted for Ukraine
Ukraine has officially begun the industrial cultivation of almonds, using self-fertile Spanish varieties capable of withstanding spring frosts down to –5°C.
The development marks a breakthrough for Ukraine’s nut industry, as reported by Hennadii Yudin, President of the Ukrainian Nut Association.
According to him, the Spanish varieties Penta and Macaco have been officially registered in Ukraine and have successfully passed climatic testing at the Almond Gardens nursery in Kirovohrad region.
“The generative organs of the trees remained intact even during frosts down to –5°C,” said Yudin, highlighting the resilience of the new cultivars.
Research Partnership with Spain
The Ukrainian project is being implemented in partnership with the Spanish scientific center CEBAS-CSIC, which has been specializing in almond breeding since 1971.
As part of the collaboration, a real-time climate monitoring system has been installed in Ukraine, transmitting hourly temperature data to CEBAS-CSIC servers in Spain.
This enables the creation of an agroclimatic suitability map for Ukrainian regions optimal for almond cultivation — primarily the southern, central, and western parts of the country.
Spanish scientists confirm that due to late flowering and self-fertility, Penta and Macaco varieties demonstrate stable yields even under unstable spring weather conditions. Grafted on GF-677 rootstock, these trees reach commercial fruiting in just three years.
Scientific Cooperation and Market Launch
At the International Almond Conference in Svitlovodsk on September 12, a memorandum on further scientific cooperation was signed between the Ukrainian Nut Association, CEBAS-CSIC, and several Ukrainian agricultural research institutes.
According to Oleksii Zelenko, the Association’s chief agronomist, the Almond Gardens nursery has already begun accepting orders for seedlings of the new Spanish varieties.
“The start of industrial almond growing in Ukraine has taken place,” — Zelenko emphasized.
Outlook
The introduction of Spanish almonds represents an important diversification step for Ukraine’s agricultural sector, opening new export opportunities for high-value nut crops and reducing dependence on traditional grain exports.
Experts believe that with proper irrigation and frost protection systems, Ukraine could become a regional hub for almond production in Eastern Europe within the next decade.
