Recent Posts
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The never-ending array of challenges each pecan crop presents continues with the 2021 pecan crop. From the beginning this year’s crop has appeared late and short. The intermittently cold spring pushed budbreak back and greatly slowed the progression of foliage expansion, and thus flowering and crop development by at least 10 days. This may have…
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As predicted we are seeing a banner year for water stage fruit split. We are currently seeing nut drop from water split even on varieties on which we don’t normally see it (such as Desirable). It has been abnormally wet this growing season and especially through the late water stage and early shell hardening phase…
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Now that Pawnees have shell hardened and we approach shell hardening on most other varieties in the next week, it is time to start thinking seriously about managing stink bugs and weevils. Prior to shell hardening these pests simply knock nuts off the trees as they feed or lay eggs. Going forward after shell hardening,…
Posted in: Insect Management -
We’re into late summer and seeing some leaf scorching out there. The two most common types I have had calls on this week have been from the scorching of young trees from heat stress. On older trees we are seeing a fair amount of terminal die back (Neofusicoccum). I went back and looked at the…
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I just returned from the Texas Pecan Growers Conference. The pecan estimate from the meeting is found below: Alabama : 2 million Arizona: 38 million Arkansas: 3 million California: 5 million Florida: 2 million Georgia: 82 million Kansas: 2 million Louisiana: 8 million Miss: 1 million Missouri: 1 million New Mex: 96 million Oklahoma: 13…
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Many calls we are receiving about spittlebugs in pecan orchards at this time. It is easy to spot the immature stage of the insect which creates a ‘spittle’ mass to protect themselves from enemy insects and also from drying out. This insect is listed as a pest of pecan in our Southeastern Pecan Grower’s Handbook.…
Posted in: Insect Management -
Last year we received a grant from the Pecan Commodity Commission to plant a low-input pecan variety trial for long-term evaluation of scab in Southeast Georgia. The location of planting is at the University of Georgia Vidalia Onion Research Farm. I’m excited to say that we are finished with our initial planting and irrigation set…