 |
| KT143 (Pawnee x Major) |
Yesterday, I spent the day in a hydraulic lift evaluating the nuts of pecan trees in our pecan breeding trial. I found 14 pecan hybrids that had split shuck since my last trip thru the
orchard (Sept. 20)
As I traveled down the row of pecan crosses, I came to tree
KT143. This tree has a special
place in the history of our pecan breeding project.
KT143 was the very first tree in the planting to start bearing pecans and has produced a crop every year since.
KT143 is the result of a cross between Pawnee and Major. The nut appears to be scab resistant and the shucks opened before either parent this year (photo above).
Of course, its whats inside the shell that counts when evaluating pecan hybrids. My records from previous years tell me that
KT143 averages 7.52 g/nut and produces 54.8% kernel. From a practical point of view, I measured the 2017 crop
and found it would drop out of a pecan sizer as a number 15 (15/16 inch). As you can see from the photo above, the kernels have wide dorsal grooves meaning the kernels will drop free of all shell fragments when cracked. We currently have this clone under advanced testing in a new planting at the Pecan Experiment Field.
