Texas Fruit And Nut Production Improved Pecans
E-6092-13Te x a s F r u i t a n d N u t P r o d u c t i o nImproved PecansMonte Nesbitt, Larry Stein, and Jim KamasExtension Fruit Specialists, The Texas A&M University SystemPecan trees grow in many settings, including woodlands,parks, urban greenbelts, courthouse lawns, and thousandsof home landscapes. The pecan is the state tree of Texasand has an important place in the state’s history.Native and improved pecan trees are grown commercially onabout 70,000 acres in Texas. The improved varieties were originally called papershell pecans becauseof their thinner shells (Fig. 1). The treesare large and long-lived; they bear largercrops than do the natives; and they canbe resistant to some insects and diseases.For information about growing nativepecans, see Texas Fruit and Nut Production: Native Pecans, which is available athttps://agrilifebookstore.org/ .Commercial production of improvedpecans involves many factors. Growersmust determine the right orchard size,Figure 1. Improved pecan nuts are also called papershell pecansselect a suitable growing site, design thebecause of their thinner shells.orchard well, select the best varieties forthe location and market, fertilize appropriately, control pestseconomically, and harvest and process the nuts efficiently.Orchard sizeA pecan enterprise may fail if the orchard is too big or toosmall. For new pecan growers, a wise strategy is to start smalland expand in phases. Considerations for determining the size1
Figure 2. A powered trunk shaker.Figure 3. A powered pecan harvester.of the orchard include cash flow, equipment costs, and wateravailability.Cash flow: Establishing a commercial pecan orchard requiresa significant capital investment for the land, equipment, irrigation well, water delivery system, and other special needs likewildlife-proof fencing. Growers must have a cash flow plan forthe 5- to 7-year establishment phase, when the trees bear veryfew pecans.Equipment costs: Although hobby orchards of 1 or2 acres may be harvested expediently enough by hand,larger endeavors need specialized harvest equipment.Commercial equipment includes tractors, shakers,harvesters, cleaners, and airblast tree sprayers (Figs. 2,3, and 4).Because the commercial equipment needed for a10-acre pecan orchard is generally the same as for a100- or 200-acre orchard, small orchards (less than 50acres) bear higher per-acre equipment costs, whichmay reduce their profitability.Water availability and quality: Mature pecantrees bearing a crop need 1 to 2 inches of water peracre per week during the hottest times of the growingseason. Growers must consider the quantity, quality,and delivery cost of the water available at the orchardsite.In general, a water well should be able to produce10 gallons of water per minute for each acre of trees.Before planting, have the water tested to determinetotal salinity and the level of potentially damaging elements such as sodium, chloride, and boron.Water quality analysis is available from the TexasA&M AgriLife Extension Service Plant, Soil andWater Testing Laboratory (http://soiltesting.tamu.edu).Commercial pecan orchards can claim agriculturalland tax exemptions. However, since 1986, there arefew tax advantages for pecans, and profits need to bedetermined on a true cash basis.For sample pecan budgets, including establishmentcosts, see the AgriLife Extension Agricultural Economics website at http://agecoext.tamu.edu.ClimateFigure 4. An air-blast pecan tree sprayer.The climate in all areas of Texas is suitable forpecans. However, crops can be damaged by early fall2
freezes and late spring frosts. In the Panhandle and other northern Texas areas, growers should plant early-harvest varieties toavoid fall freeze injury to maturing nuts.Freezing weather can also damage young pecan trees. Avoidplanting young pecan trees in low-lying topography, or “frostpockets,” which increase the potential for cold injury. Maturetrees that have developed thick bark are much less likely to bedamaged in these areas.Water and disease concerns differ across the state. In general,less irrigation is needed for orchards that are east of Interstate 35and receive at least 35 inches of rainfall per year. However, theseorchards have more disease problems and a greater potential forrainy conditions during harvest.Orchards receiving less than 35 inches of rainfall a year havefewer disease concerns but depend more onirrigation systems to supply the 55 inchesof rainfall per acre needed for good treegrowth and crop production.Even in the wettest areas of Texas,rainfall is unpredictable, and irrigation isrecommended for producing good-qualitypecans (Fig. 5).SoilPecans grow best on deep, well-drainedsoils that contain adequate oxygen, nutrients, and water. Although trees can growon shallow soil, commercial orchards areFigure 5. Solid set sprinkler irrigation.most likely to be successful if the soils are32 inches deep or deeper. Study the site’sdrainage and soil depth carefully before planting, because manysoils in Texas are either shallow or poorly drained and do notsupport profitable production.VarietiesImproved pecan varieties are recommended for each pecanproduction region in Texas (Fig. 6). Considerations for choosing varieties include pollination, nut maturity date, resistance topecan scab, and market preferences.Pollination: Pecan trees are pollinated by wind. The pollen isblown from male flowers called catkins to female flowers called3
Regional factorsNorth: Shorter growing season; low disease pressure; irrigation required; calcareous soilsrequire foliar zinc spraysWest: Low disease pressure; high heat stress; irrigation required; calcareous soils require foliarzinc spraysCentral: Variable (usually light) disease pressure; variable soils; supplemental irrigation neededEast:Moderate to high disease pressureLegend(I)(II)**ssbbCaddo (I)Lipan (I)**Mandan (I)**Osage (I)Pawnee (I)Kanza (II)Lakota (II)Caddo (I)Cheyenne (I)Lipan (I)**Pawnee (I)Waco (I)Western (I)Hopi (II)**Lakota (II)**Wichita (II)Type I pollination (protandrous) pollen shed firstType II (protogynous) female flowers receptive firstNew and untested variety for trial plantingScab susceptibility risk elevated in this regionB reaks dormancy early and should not be planted innorthernmost areas of regionApalachee (I)**Caddo (I)Desirable (I)ssLipan (I) **Mandan (I)**Oconee (I)Pawnee (I)ssPrilop (I)Elliott (II)bbForkert (II)Kanza (II)Lakota (II)**Caddo (I)Desirable (I)Lipan (I)**Mandan (I)**Oconee (I)Pawnee (I)Kanza (II)Lakota (II)**Nacono (II)Sioux (II)Wichita (II)ssFigure 6. Pecan regions of Texas.4
nutlets. On most varieties, the pollen is not dispersed (shed) atthe same time that the nutlets become receptive.To overcome this problem, each pecan orchard should containtwo flowering types: Type I, or protandrous, pecans are those in which thecatkins appear first. Catkins are commonly called tasselsbecause their golden strands hang in clumps throughout thetree. T ype II, or protogynous, pecans are those in which thefemale nutlets become receptive before the catkins begin toshed pollen.The ratio of the two types in an orchard need not be equal:Only 15 percent of the trees need to be pollenizers for the mainvariety, as long as they are distributed uniformly throughoutthe planting. Small orchards may not need pollinizers if nativeor seedling trees are within sight of the new planting; however,large commercial plantings should include pollenizers within theorchard.Early nut maturity: Because fall freezes occur earlier inNorth Texas, growers there should choose varieties that produceearly-maturing nuts. This trait is also important for growers inother production areas who want to get the nuts to market earlyin the harvest season.Scab susceptibility: Central and East Texasgrowers should be aware of the risk for scabdisease with certain varieties (noted “ss” on themap). Varieties like ‘Wichita’ and ‘Hopi’, cannotbe grown successfully in rainy conditions withoutfungicide sprays to prevent fungal infections, andfungicide treatment may not be enough to preventcrop loss on scab-susceptible varieties in yearswith abnormally high rainfall.Marketing outlets: Choose varieties that willFigure 7. Nuts from three pecan varieties. From the topbest meet the needs of your intended market.down: Lipan, Pawnee, and Kanza.Retail markets prefer large nuts with brightcolored kernels (Fig. 7). Wholesale markets lookfor shelling ease and high percent kernel. Orchards shouldbe designed to allow trees of the same variety to be harvestedtogether, because buyers prefer uniform lots of pecans, ratherthan blended lots of more than one variety.For more information about pecan varieties, see the TexasPecan Handbook, which is available from the Texas A&M AgriLife Bookstore at https://agrilifebookstore.org/.5
SpacingTo be productive, pecan trees must haveample sunlight. At least 50 percent of theorchard floor should receive sunlight at midday during the summer throughout the life ofthe orchard.Inadequate sunlight hinders pecan production even before the limbs of adjacent treestouch one another. Problems include smallernuts, lower production, reduced percentkernel, increased insect and disease pressure,and intensified alternate bearing, which is theFigure 8. A well-spaced young pecan orchard.tendency to bear nuts in 2-year cycles, with alarge crop followed by a small or no crop.The initial tree spacing determines how soon an orchard willbecome crowded (Fig. 8). To delay crowding, plant the trees50 or 60 feet apart. To prevent it altogether, space them 75 to100 feet or farther apart. Although high-density plantings of 35feet or less can produce more nuts early, they become crowdedearlier.Options to reduce crowding include canopy hedging, transplanting, and tree removal.Canopy hedging is pruning back the limbs in the outer canopyof the trees. To be effective, the canopiesmust be hedged every year using a sickle-baror rotary blade-type hedging machine (Fig. 9),which is very expensive. Because of the costand scarcity of custom contractors, hedging isusually not feasible for small orchards.Growers in Far West Texas plan for annualhedging and plant the trees 30 feet apart (30x 30). Orchards in other regions of the stateare commonly planted 35 x 35 or 40 x 40 andare either hedge pruned or thinned by treeremoval.Some growers have used tree spadesto move pecan trees. The most successfultransplants have trunks that are 10 inchesor less in diameter. To survive, transplantedtrees must be watered carefully and prunedseverely.Tree removal strategies differ somewhatforsquare, rectangular, and diamond orchardFigure 9. A mature orchard spaced at 30x30 feet, hedged anplanting designs. For planting designs andnually to maintain sunlight.6
thinning strategies, see the Texas Pecan Handbook. The orchardplan should also ensure that pollenizers remain in the orchardafter tree removal.Orchard floor managementWeeds compete with pecans for water and nutrients and canreduce growth and kernel development. The most practical andwidely used system of orchard floor managementis the sod and strip system, in which a herbicidetreated, weed-free band is left down the tree row;sod is grown between the bands and maintainedby mowing (Fig. 10).The soil is broken up in pecan orchards bydifferent means across the state. Shallow, cleancultivation (clearing out all plants except thepecan trees) with a disk harrow (disking) is practiced in Far West Texas, where orchards areflood-irrigated with river or reservoir water. It isalso used in other parts of the state. However, thispractice contributes to erosion and compactionand is impractical in rainy areas because it makesmoving the equipment difficult.Although some Texas growers graze sheep,cattle, goats, and other animals in improvedorchards, it is generally not recommendedbecause livestock can compact the soil, damageyoung trees, and interfere with irrigation, spraying, and harvesting.FertilizerFigure 10. A “sod and strip” orchard floor.Pecan orchards need applications of nitrogen and zinc every year. Depending on soil testresults, they may also need to be fertilized to correct pH problems as well as other macro-and micronutrient deficiencies.Nitrogen: Pecans must have nitrogen to grow well. Applynitrogen at bud break in April and again in May and June. As arule, 10 pounds of actual nitrogen is needed in June to produce100 pounds of pecans per acre. For heavy crops, apply it in Julyand August also.Young trees should receive small, frequent applications inresponse to growth from budbreak to late July. Later applicationswill expose young trees to greater risk of freeze injury.7
Zinc: Foliar zinc sprays are essentialfor maximum leaf expansion and pecangrowth (Fig. 11). Applying zinc to thesoil or via drip systems is ineffectiveunless the soil pH is 6.0 or less and nolimestone has been applied.Apply zinc frequently in the earlypart of the growing season. Liquid zincnitrate and zinc sulfate wettable powderare equally effective. To improve zincuptake into the foliage, add liquid nitrogen (32 percent urea ammonium nitrate,called UAN) to either type of zinc.Trees that are young, non-bearing,and growing fast need zinc sprays every14 to 21 days from bud break in AprilFigure 11. Severe zinc deficiency symptoms in pecan: bunchyuntilJuly. Mature bearing pecan treescanopy, small leaves, and limb dieback.respond best to five applications of zinc:the first three applied 1 week apart beginning at bud break, thefourth application 2 weeks after the third, and the fifth 3 weeksafter the fourth.Because zinc sulfate can seriously damage the leaves of manytypes of plants, use zinc nitrate on pecan trees in urban landscapes to reduce the risk of damaging overspray.pH: Have the soil tested periodically to monitor pH andnutrient levels. If the pH is less than 6.0, you may need toadd limestone; soil with a pH of more than 7.5 may requiremicronutrients.Potassium and phosphorus: Potassium fertilizer may beneeded every 1 to 3 years, especially on sandy soils. Phosphorousfertilizer is seldom needed in Texas, and applyingit can aggravate other micronutrient deficiencies.Monitor both elements regularly through soil andleaf analysis.DiseasesFigure 12. Pecan scab on pecan shuck.Pecans are susceptible to several foliage, fruit, androot diseases in Texas. The most damaging fungaldisease in the Central and East regions is pecan scab(Fig. 12). To control pecan scab on susceptible varieties, spray a fungicide on foliage and the developingnuts multiple times during spring and summer,depending on the frequency of rainfall.8
Other common diseases are downy spot, powdery mildew,shuck dieback, stem-end blight, and bacterial leaf scorch. Insome regions of the state, pecans are also attacked by soil-bornediseases, including cotton root rot, crown gall, and root-knotnematodes.InsectsPecan growers must also know how to control the seriousinsect pests that attack the nuts—pecan nut casebearer (Fig.13), pecan weevil, and hickory shuckworm—as well as the manyinsects that feed on the leaves. Also, borer insects may attack thetrunks, limbs, and roots of pecan trees.For more information on pecan insects, see theField Guide to Insects and Mites of Pecan (http://agrilifebookstore.org).An effective and economical strategy for pecanpest control is integrated pest management (IPM).IPM uses a combination of practices that controlpests while posing the least risk to people and theenvironment.IPM practices for pecans are described in theTexas Pecan Handbook and on the followingwebsites: http://pecankernel.tamu.edu http://pecan.ipmpipe.org http://pncforecast.tamu.eduPhoto by Bill ReeFigure 13. Damage from pecan nut casebearer larvae.HarvestingPecans in Texas must be harvested expediently to overcomedelays from bad weather and to minimize losses from bluejays, crows, squirrels, and turkeys. Although pecans are veryslowly perishable, they can develop problems such as sprouting,embryo rot, and darkening of kernels if left for weeks in warm,damp fields.An added incentive to harvest quickly is that pecan marketprices traditionally become more volatile and may decline as theseason progresses from October to January.Mechanical harvest in commercial orchards is a three- orfour-step process:1. Trunk shakers put the crop on the ground.2. Harvesters pick up the pecans and associated sticks, leaves,and other trash.9
Figure 15. A pecan cleaner and sacking operation.3. C leaners separate the good pecans from the trash(Figs.14 and 15).An intermediate step of sweeping or wind-rowing thefallen nuts into narrow linear piles is needed for harvesters thatdo not maneuver well in the orchard.Figure 14. Machine-harvested pecans andtrash before processing.ProcessingPecans should be processed immediately after harvestto obtain a good early-season price and to prevent kerneldarkening, embryo rot, vivipary (premature sprouting), thedevelopment of toxins such as aflatoxin, and other problemsrelated to moist pecans. Pecans are processed in three steps:1. Dehulling equipment removes the shucks that were notpulled off in the orchard by nature or by harvesting equipment. In South Texas, harvest begins before the shucks arefully open to prevent vivipary. There, the shucks must beground off in water with special equipment.2. A pop remover vacuum-separates the poorly filled pecansfrom the good ones.3. As soon as possible, forced air is used to dry the goodpecans, reducing the moisture content from 15 to 4percent. Pecans can be dried on concrete floors or in openweave sacks, special drying boxes, or false-bottom peanuttrailers. To greatly reduce drying time, move as much dryair as possible over the pecans. Heated air can shortendrying times, but the temperature used for drying pecansshould not exceed 95 F.10
MarketingMany pecan growers, particularly smaller producers, markettheir pecans directly to consumers via catalogs, retail stores,the Internet, and fund-raising organizations. For these outlets,pecan prices are based on local consumer demand for freshpecans.Growers may also sell to the wholesale market, which isorganized around shelling companies and their subsidiaries.Wholesale prices are affected by supply and demand, global economic factors, the cost of competing nuts (walnuts, almonds),and the alternate bearing habit of pecan trees. Prices are oftenlowest when the national crop is large, and vice versa.Commercial growers should learn how to evaluate nut quality.Called a hand test, this evaluation is used to estimate the number of nuts per pound, percent kernel by weight, percent fancygrade, and the presence of defects that affect the price negotiatedwith a wholesale buyer.The hand test is demonstrated annually in many Texas counties as part of the Texas PecanShow and Grading Demonstration. Growers who wantto attend a county pecan showshould contact the countyExtension agent.The demonstration culminates in a display of the state’stop pecans at the Texas PecanGrowers Association’s annualconference in July (http://www.tpga.org).Costs and returnsMany pecan orchards inTexas seldom make a profitbecause they lack one or moreof the orchard managementFigure 16. Well-managed pecan orchards on good sites can produce fromfactors that are critical to1,000 to 2,000 pounds of nuts per acre per year.success. A producing orchardrequires about 600 per acre in annual operating expenses.Fixed costs and recovery of establishment costs must also berecaptured.Well-managed orchards on good sites can produce from 1,000to 2,000 pounds per acre per year (Fig. 16). Pecan production11
can be profitable when market prices are favorable and cropfailures are avoided.In 2012, the pecan market was strong and paying more than 2 per pound wholesale. In the United States, consumption isrising as Americans learn about the research confirming thenut’s health benefits. Pecans are rich in vitamins, contain highlevels of antioxidants, and have be
irrigation systems to supply the 55 inches of rainfall per acre needed for good tree growth and crop production. Even in the wettest areas of Texas, rainfall is unpredictable, and irrigation is recommended for producing good-quality pecans (Fig. 5). Soil Pecans grow best on deep, well-drained soils
Monitoring Fruit Maturity: When color just begins to show along the suture, fruit should be mature in roughly 30 days. Begin measuring fruit internal pressure once fruit shows color. Warmer weather slows fruit maturity; cooler weather faster fruit maturity. Fruit lose 1 to 2 lbs fruit pressure per week and are mature at 3 - 4 lbs internal .
The fruit of Silence is Prayer. The fruit of Prayer is Faith. The fruit of Faith is Love. The fruit of Love is Service. The fruit of Service is Peace. These five lines were written on St. Teresa of Calcutta's business cards. The card didn't have her name or the Missionaries of Charity written on it, just these simple words. On the back of the .
individual fruit and nut crops, blueberries,grapes and peaches each fell during 2007, with pecan production remaining relatively constant. Peach pro-ductionrebounded in 2008 but has since declined by almost 75 percent (Figure 3). Although Arkansas fruit and nut production has seenan overall decrease since 2003, real prices for
caterpillars may defoliate persimmon trees, and cases of mealy bugs, thrips, mites, ants, and fruit flies have been reported. Many wild animals are attracted to the fruit including opos-sums, raccoons, birds, deer, and rats. Watch fruit nearing maturity closely, because these predators may eat the fruit before it is fully ripe. Rootstocks
fruit - dried 9: smear - spread 29: cocoa - dutch 4: fruit - iqf 15: sour 4: cocoa - natural 5: fruit - marmalades 30: spice 11: coconut - flake 5: fruit - nut paste 29: stabilizer - icing / glaze 3: coconut - macaroon 5: fruit-o - icing fruit 26: starch - gelatin 11: coconut - toasted 5: f
Fruit drink obtained by mixing two or more fruit juice pulp and purées from different kinds of fruit species 3.10 Fruit squash . The products shall be soft drinks beverage intended for human consumption which contains, fruit juice, fruit pulp or other edible parts of the fruits. It may be made from a .
Two techniques are described for insertion of nuts and washers, "nut-over-screw" technique and "nut-over-drill bit" technique. Optional Nut and Washer Technique 14 mm Screw with Nut Screw with Washer Nut with Washer 12 mm 3 mm 6.5 mm 15 mm Insuffi cient insertion depth between nut and nail.
4 Peanut and Tree Nut Allergy 1 Your child has been diagnosed with a peanut or tree nut allergy. This information sheet tells you what foods your child can and can't eat and gives you advice on day to day living with a nut allergy. The treatment for nut allergy is a Nut Free Diet. 1 in 50 ch
