Pecan production in the US

Blog 3 - Physiology and Growth Is the pecan a C3 or a C4 plant? The pecan is a C3 plant. A C4 plant has the special ability to close its stomata throughout most of the day. This way the plant will not run out of water very quickly when it is warm and water easily evaporates. Therefore, the C4 characteristic are needed for plants growing in arid regions. (Difference between C3. C4 and CAM plants, n.d.) . As we mentioned in blog 1, the pecan is native to South-North America. Therefore, the climate is warm, but not arid. Is the pecan an annual, biennial or a perennial? The pecan tree is a perennial for its lifespan is longer than three years.  (Andersen, 2017) . Is the pecan able to fix atmospheric nitrogen? Legumes have nitrification abilities. It is able to take up the nitrogen out of the air (N2) and fix it into ammonia (CH4). The ammonia is later nitrified and turned into nitrates (NO3-), which the plants can take up as nutrient. The nitrogen fixation is done at the r...

Blog 2 - Pecan Tree Anatomy and Morphology When wanting to know a plants anatomy and morphology one often starts with a simple distinction between a monocot and a dicot plant. Morphology is the study of the form and structure of plants, while anatomy covers the arrangement of cells, tissues, organs and other structures. Thus, knowing the differences between the two types will give one insight how a plant grows and what it will need to be able to develop. You can distinguish the two types by going over a simple checklist. Figure 1 Detailed picture of a monocot and dicot (Flowering plants monocotyledon and dicotyledon science lesson in English, 2017) Pecan: monocot or dicot? We will do a test in order to classify the pecan tree. Looking at the leaves of the pecan tree we can see that the leaf veins are not parallel, which classifies the pecan as a dicot plant. (Carya illinoinensis (Wangenh.) K. Koch, 2017) . Figure 2 Pecan leaves  (Pecan Tree Leaves, 20...