Waris
A SKUAST-Kashmir-evaluated variety with a growth habit suited to high-density orcharding, bearing medium-sized, soft-shell nuts.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Almond (Badam)
- Type
- Grafted planting material
- Season
- All seasons
- Maturity period
- First bearing in 3 years (grafted)
- Expected yield
- Good under high-density planting
- Suitable soil
- Deep, well-drained temperate orchard loam
- Release
- SKUAST-Kashmir temperate fruit research programme; exact notification year not confirmed in this pass
About this variety
Waris is one of the almond selections evaluated under SKUAST-Kashmir's temperate fruit research programme and cultivated commercially in Jammu & Kashmir. It is consistently described in horticultural comparisons as having a growth habit well suited to high-density orcharding — a genuinely useful trait given how much Kashmir's almond expansion literature emphasises fitting more productive trees onto the valley's limited karewa land. It bears medium-sized, soft-shell nuts with a reported shelling percentage of about 48%, a respectable kernel-recovery figure that sits between the higher-shelling Shalimar and lower-shelling Makhdoom among the region's named releases. Waris has also been studied specifically for its flowering phenology and cross-compatibility alongside imported cultivars such as California Paper Shell and Merced, reflecting its role as part of a planned, multi-variety pollination system rather than a stand-alone block variety.
Key characteristics
Sowing & cultivation
- Spacing6–7 m, with a compatible pollinizer variety in every third row
- FertilizerA balanced NPK dose while young, moving to a higher, bloom-and-post-harvest-split dose once bearing (see the crop guide for the full schedule)
Soil & climate
Soil
- Suitable soil
- Deep, well-drained loam; pH 6.0–7.5; Kashmir's karewa soils suit it well
Yield & maturity
Maturity period
First bearing in 3 years (grafted)
Expected yield
Good under high-density planting
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
Pest & disease considerations
Major diseases
Major pests
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- A growth habit specifically suited to high-density orcharding, useful on Kashmir's land-limited karewa tracts.
- Studied for cross-compatibility with established imported cultivars, supporting a well-planned pollination layout.
Things to consider
- Like all almond, it is self-incompatible and must be planted with a genuinely cross-compatible, bloom-overlapping pollinizer variety — it cannot be grown as a solid single-variety block.
- Exact release year and formal disease-resistance data were not confirmed in this research pass — confirm current recommendations with SKUAST-Kashmir.
Suitable regions
Evaluated under SKUAST-Kashmir's temperate fruit research programme; genuinely confined to the Kashmir valley's narrow chilling-suitable belt.
- Jammu and Kashmir
Frequently asked questions
Can I plant only Waris in my orchard?
No — almond, including Waris, is self-incompatible, so a solid block of just one variety will set little to no fruit. Plant it alongside at least one genuinely cross-compatible variety with an overlapping bloom time, such as an established imported cultivar or another SKUAST-Kashmir release.
Sourced from: Compatibility Studies in Exotic and Indigenous Almond Varieties — Kashmir Valley, Genetic Diversity in Rosaceous Fruits of J&K: Apple, Apricot, and Almond. editorial policy.