First nuts to shuck-split in 2019

KT337 13 Sept. 2019

     Wow, that was fast! In my last post, I presented a photo of the earliest ripening tree in my breeding project. On Sept 7th, the shuck of KT337 was only half way separated from the shell. Today, only 6 days later, the shucks of KT337 were opening (photo at right).
   This early ripening date caught me by surprise. I was expecting this tree to open sometime next week, not today. I went back into the records for this tree and found that KT337 ripened on Sept. 19 in 2016, Sept. 20 in 2017, and Sept. 17 in 2018.
    Now I'm wondering if other pecan trees will split their shucks earlier than normal. I'm sure to find out shortly. For the next 4 to 5 weeks, I'll be checking trees 3 times each week to record each cultivar's ripening date. I'll keep you posted.