Pecan production in the US

Blog 11 - Organic Agriculture What are the problems when moving from conventional to organic practices? The most occurring problems when cultivating organic pecan is found in weed and pest management. Weeds will limit growth, for the trees will have to compete with the weeds. But perhaps most harmful will be plant diseases. The most common pecan diseases are caused by fungal pathogens, such as scab, so control is of upmost importance. (Texas A&M Agrilife Extension, n.d.) Aphids and weevil control is also an important factor to keep in mind. (Mizell, 2015) . It takes 3 years of transformation to be able to get an organic certification. if one plants new trees it can take 10 years before the trees will bear nuts. (Mizell, 2015) . Therefore, disease-resistant varieties have to be chosen. Also, a lot of organically approved substances are used to control the fungi and insects. The University of Florida has done research on organic production by R. F. Mizell. This publicati...

Blog 10 - Harvesting and Storage Specialized harvesting equipment that is required for large scale pecan production There are different types of harvesting equipment that is used for harvesting pecans on commercial, large scale level. There is a machine that picks up the nuts from the ground. Afterward, there is cleaning machinery needed to clean the pecan nuts. Then, there are the tree shakers which actually shake the tree so that the nuts drop to the ground. (Nutbiz Pape Pecan Equipment, n.d.) . Pecans ready for harvest? What will happen if you harvest too early or too late? Pecan ripening is often split up in three different stages. The first stage is fruit sizing, where the kernel develops in which the pecan nut will grow. In this stage the fruit will expand rapidly and become more rounded due to water storage. The second stage is called the kernel filling stage. This is the stage when the nut begins to develop in the kernel. (Reid, The phenology of early ripening in pec...