Supareil Almond Tree Soft Shell and Harvest Timing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing almond tree varieties face challenges in commercial success due to hard shells, uneven ripening dates, flavor, texture, and storage quality, which affect ease of shelling and kernel quality.
Innovation Solution
The 'Supareil' almond tree variety, discovered as a chance seedling, is characterized by its soft shell, sweeter nut meat, larger kernel size, and specific harvesting date of September 3-7, offering improved shelling ease and quality compared to other varieties like 'Nonpareil' and 'Carmel', with asexual propagation ensuring consistent traits across generations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If almond tree varieties produce hard shell nuts, then the nuts have better protection and durability, but the kernel removal becomes much more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by selecting and propagating almond trees with naturally softer shell characteristics. The 'Supareil' variety was identified as having a softer shell compared to traditional hard-shelled varieties, which fundamentally changes the physical parameter of shell hardness to improve ease of shelling while maintaining adequate protection.
2Loss of time
If almond tree varieties have early harvesting dates, then the market can access almonds sooner, but the variety may have less time to develop optimal flavor and storage quality
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the temporal parameter by establishing a specific harvesting window (first week of September, September 3-7) that balances early market availability with adequate development time for optimal flavor and storage quality. This timing parameter was determined through observation and testing of the 'Supareil' variety.
3Manufacturing precision
If almond tree varieties produce uniform ripening, then harvesting efficiency improves, but genetic diversity and adaptability may be reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies copying through asexual propagation methods (grafting, budding, or tissue culture) to replicate the desirable uniform ripening characteristics of the discovered 'Supareil' tree. This allows multiple trees to be created as genetic copies, ensuring uniform ripening behavior while maintaining the specific genetic traits of the original discovered tree.
Data Source
AI summary
A new and distinct variety of almond tree is described and which is somewhat similar to the ‘Nonpareil’ almond tree (non-patented), but which is distinguishable therefrom by producing a larger sized kernel of high quality and having a sweet flavor when compared to the with ‘Nonpareil’ almond tree (non-patented).