The cost of scab infection

   We've been working hard at harvesting the 2017 pecan crop and I was struck by the obvious impacts pecan scab infection has had on some of our pecan cultivars. At the research station, we have a block of Giles and Chetopa trees, two scab susceptible cultivars. For each cultivar, I collected nuts from the harvester and arranged them by size for a photograph.

    Each photo  shows 3 normal sized pecans in the top row compared to scab-effected,  smaller nuts in the bottom row.  Although both cultivars showed signs of yield loss (smaller nuts) from scab, Giles looks harder hit.
   Looking back at our pecan scab control program in 2017, I think we made an error in waiting for the appearance of pecan nut casebearer before making our first scab spray. As it turns out, casebearer never developed to a damaging level but pecan scab got a good start on our nut crop in early June. I'm becoming convinced that I need to switch our pest control priorities. Next year, I'll time our June pesticide applications based on scab. If that means applying an insecticide a little early for casebearer, so be it. I'll just have to choose a long residual insecticide like Warrior or Intrepid to handle casebearer.  

Harvesting Pawnee pecans

    We've been working our way through harvest picking up nuts in a various research plots. Last week we harvested Pawnee (photo at right) and I was pleased to see that summer shaking really paid off in terms of nut quality this Fall. This year's Pawnee nuts are some of the best we've every raised.
    Pawnee has become a popular cultivar in northern pecan states because it ripens early and it produces large, thin-shelled nuts. With a good scab control program and crop load management, Pawnee can be a reliable income producer.  
     However, we have experienced one problem in growing Pawnee that is rarely if ever mentioned--Pawnee nuts do not fair so well when harvested mechanically.

    The shells of Pawnee nuts are so thin that they often get cracked during harvest operations. I collected a few nuts from the cleaning table to show you what I mean. The majority of Pawnee nuts come through harvest fully intact (first 3 nuts in top row, photo above). Many nuts get cracked but the shell still covers the nut meat (top right nut, above). However, about 5% of the Pawnee nuts that come across the inspection table are cracked open, exposing the nut meat inside (nuts in bottom row, above).  Sell-able pecans must have intact shells to protect nut meats from contamination. When we sort our Pawnee nuts, any nuts with exposed kernel are thrown off the table.
   Although consumers prefer nuts with paper-thin shells, they also demand a clean wholesome product. I have come to the realization that pecan cultivars that produce nuts with greater than 56% kernel will suffer significant nut losses due to mechanical harvest using current equipment.  This observation is something I'll keep in mind when evaluating the nuts produced in our breeding program.

A mild freeze and pecan leaf fall

Kanza pecans, 2 Nov. 2017

   I don't think I've ever seem pecan trees hold on to their leaves like this year. During most years, we get a hard freeze in early November that causes pecan leaves to drop off the tree in just a few hours. Not this year.
    Temperatures dropped to 27 degrees (F) on a couple of occasions in late October which froze leaf blades but did not kill leaf rachii (photo above). The result of this weather pattern has been that shucks have opened up but the leaves have remained in place (even with frost burned leaflets).
    We have harvested several pecan cultivars this week but have found that the semi-green leaves that cover the ground after tree shaking has made harvest by machine a lot less efficient. It seems that the machine is having a hard time digging out pecans from the still leathery leaves.  After a hard freeze (less than 26 F), leaves turn crispy dry and are ground up by the harvester.
    In time, our harvest problems will pass as colder temperatures are surely on the way. However, a second trip over the orchard with the harvester later this fall will yield far more nuts than in previous years.  

Who's eating my pecans?

   While harvesting this year's pecan crop, I spotted a few nuts that had their shells broken open by one of the many critters that feed on pecans (photo at right). By just looking at the damaged nuts, I can tell which pest caused the damage.
    A woodpecker caused the deep narrow hole in the nut labeled "A".  With their sharp, narrow bill, woodpeckers punch a hole through the shell  and feed on the kernel inside.  Woodpeckers carry off small native pecans and cache them in tree voids for later consumption. Since they can't carry off large, thin-shelled nuts they simply take a quick bite before getting back to work stealing native pecans.
   Mice will climb up into trees and start gnawing into pecans as soon as the shucks split open. You can always spot a mouse damaged nut by the neat round hole they chew into the side of the shell (pecan "B").  They usually make the hole just large enough to poke their head into the shell and clean out every morsel of pecan kernel.
    A nut with a large, irregularly-cracked hole was attacked by a bluejay or crow (pecan "C"). These birds have large beaks that they use to pound open the shell. Often the nuts are broken in several pieces but they always eat the entire nut kernel inside.
    Wildlife can eat a significant proportion of a pecan crop so its always important to harvest as quickly as possible. The list of critters that eat pecans include not only the three pests described above but also includes squirrels, raccoons, deer, coyotes and turkeys.