The almond orchards in Hustopeče are unique in Europe, but like grapevines, the wood of stone fruits, which include almonds, can be attacked by pathogenic fungi. The trees can be protected by following proper agrotechnical practices, especially by pruning in dry weather, as moisture helps spread pathogenic fungal spores. An alternative option is to treat the cut with a solution containing spores of the Trichoderma fungus. This fungus then shows signs of mycoparasitism, which means that it reduces the mycelium of other fungi, including harmful ones. Research into pathogenic fungi in wood is being conducted by the International Council on Grapevine Trunk Diseases, which includes scientists from the Faculty of Horticulture.

When a pathogen colonizes a trunk, it can destroy the entire tree in a matter of hours. “Stone fruits, for example, have stronger secondary growth and more complex wood tissue than vines. This is, of course, an important factor for the development of pathogenic fungi in wood. Fungal mycelia grow more slowly, but if they colonize the wood, the consequences can be fatal, as in the case of grapevines,” explained Aleš Eichmeier from Mendelea – the Institute of Genetics at the Faculty of Horticulture at MENDELU.

Almond trees can be protected against fungal pathogens in wood, in particular by following the correct agrotechnical procedures. “It is especially important to prune in dry weather, as moisture helps spread the spores of pathogenic fungi. It is also a good idea to treat large cuts with suitable products. The pruning period, the shape of the tree, and the variety of almond tree are also important. The more sunlight that reaches the crown, the better it is for the tree,” Eichmeier explained. If the tree is already infected with pathogenic fungi, the cuts can be treated with a solution containing spores of the Trichoderma fungus. “When this fungus colonizes almond wood, it exhibits signs of so-called mycoparasitism, which means that it reduces or eliminates the mycelium of other fungi,” the scientist explained.

The International Council on Grapevine Trunk Diseases is an international consortium dedicated to researching pathogens that cause grapevine trunk diseases. It is a prestigious community of scientists from all continents where grapevines are grown. Scientists meet and discuss advances in the protection against wood-infecting fungal pathogens. “In recent years, most members of this community have also been researching fungal pathogens that colonize the trunks of other woody plants such as stone fruits, pome fruits, nuts, and small fruits,” said Eichmeier, who was chairman of the council from 2022 to 2025.

In collaboration with Mendele – the Institute of Genetics at the Faculty of Horticulture in Lednice, the Husle almond variety was developed, which is typical for the Hustopeče region. “Husle was planted as a new promising variety in the almond orchard in Hustopeče and at the Faculty of Horticulture in Lednice. Its specificity was its novelty and genetic difference, which we verified by comparing it with other already registered varieties,” Eichmeier described the cooperation between MENDELU and the Technical Services of the City of Hustopeče.

Almond orchards in Hustopeče are a rarity in the Czech Republic. They were created as a result of efforts to achieve complete self-sufficiency in socialist Czechoslovakia. The first almond trees were planted in the spring of 1949. At the time of its greatest boom around 1960, more than fifty thousand almond trees grew in Hustopeče on 185 hectares. However, almond cultivation became uneconomical, and so the orchards gradually shrunk. After November 1989, interest in the crop ceased altogether. In 2010, European subsidies contributed to the rescue of the almond orchards. Today, the town of Hustopeče manages two almond orchards with 850 mature trees, and there is also a newly planted orchard of smaller size.

For more information, please contact: doc. Ing. Aleš Eichmeier, Ph.D., +420 774 644 120, ales.eichmeier@mendelu.cz, Mendeleum – Institute of Genetics, Faculty of Biotechnology, Mendel University