Our latest pecan cultivars have split shuck

Stuart, 23 Oct. 2017

    Well adapted pecan cultivars are ones that split their husks well before the average date of first fall freeze. In our area of SE Kansas, the average date of first fall freeze is October 21. 
    Today, I photographed shuck-split of our latest ripening pecan cultivars currently under evaluation at the experiment station. Stuart is an old southern cultivar that might be the widest recognized cultivar in the world (photo at right). However, Stuart is not well adapted to our area. Most years, Stuart has fuzzy and dry tasting kernels, indicating that this cultivar did not have a long enough growing season before temperatures start to turn colder in the Fall

    Oconee is a newer USDA  cultivar that produces a beautiful nut (photo at left). However, like Stuart, Oconee ripens too late for us. Oconee is scab resistant and would make an excellent choice for growers with a longer growing season.