In order to obtain new late flowering almond varieties with desirable pomological and vegetative
characteristics and suitable fruit/kernel characteristics, a program of hybridization between available commercial
varieties with possible occurrences of inferior characteristics was started in 1990. In order to achieve these
goals, Azar (AH 50) and Ferragnes (Fr) varieties were selected as the maternal varieties and eight other varieties
were selected as the pollen donors. In this program about 290 hybrid seeds were obtained from almost
14 different combinations of crosses. The seeds were planted in plastic vases after passing stratification stages.
After one year the seedlings were transferred to the hybrid almond orchard and looked after. In 1995, the first
flowering bud emergence data was recorded. From 1997, for three consecutive years vegetative characteristics
of these hybrids trees in eight different traits were recorded along with twenty-one different traits for fruit/kernel
characteristics based on IBPGRI descriptor for almond. Then, based on grading and assigning values with
respect to the importance and effectiveness of traits in production, quality and quantity of fruit/kernel, twenty
superior hybrid genotypes were identified by utilizing computer software and entering more than twelve
thousand data. These superior hybrid genotypes were then introduced to the four almond research stations
in the country as the promising ones.