Include foliar sulfur sprays in June and July to maximize nut size

An insufficient plant supply of sulfur (S) has been shown to reduce crop productivity, diminish crop quality, affect plant health, and impair N-use efficiency. The effect of N application on plant performance is largely dependent on the S status of the plant and similarly, maximum plant response to S application will occur only when N…

This month’s column on the Texas Crop Registry is a little different from my normal topics in that it does not address a specific insect or pest problem, but rather informs producers of a tool that I think is a win-win opportunity for both producers and pesticide applicators. Simply put, the purpose of the Texas…

Pecan growers continue to search out optimal orchard fertilization and nutrition practices in order to achieve healthy trees and maximum production. The recent Western Pecan Growers conference in Las Cruces launched its educational program with those topics. New Mexico Extension pecan specialist Richard Heerema reported on revised recommendations for potassium and phosphorus levels (previously reported…

I think most producers are glad that the 2013 season is over and probably tired of the lingering cold. But ready or not, the 2014 season is just around the corner. As we approach the beginning of this new season, I want to remind producers that it will soon be time to start ordering your…

Looking forward and preparing for the future seemed to be the theme for the recent Southeastern Pecan Growers Association conference in Biloxi, Feb. 21-22. The program included discussions about the possibility of implementing a pecan marketing order to help the industry deal profitably with likely increased supply, about how the Southeast’s extremely wet weather in…

New applications for pecans are always welcomed by the industry — especially those that enhance the healthy image of pecans; especially those that enhance the image of pecans as a great tasting nut; and especially those that create demand for something other than halves! Well, here it is and it is on the shelves of…

Olive grafting is 2,000+ years old as described in the Bible, and pecan grafting began at Oak Alley Plantation just north of New Orleans in 1855 or so. Grafting in pecans is not an easy process, it is difficult; especially in the arid Southwest. Gulf Coast or southeastern growers and nurserymen can use a wide…

When visitors come to this corner of Southeast Kansas and walk in the shade of our native pecan groves, they are most often impressed by the enormous size of the trees. One of the first questions that always pops into a visitors head is: “How do you prune these huge trees?” I explain that the…

2013 was an interesting year in the pecan world and it appears 2014 is following in its footsteps, at least in the Southeast. Record summer rainfall gave way to a dry harvest period and then right back into a wet pattern in December. Cold temperatures, rain, snow, sleet and ice have all made their mark…

The winter of 2013-2014 has been the coldest sustained weather in Texas without a warm “Indian Summer” in my 43 years at Texas A&M. At College Station, we have received more than 900 hours of winter chilling requirement below 45 degrees F from October to this date. In addition to the chilling, there have been…

The 2014 Fundamentals of Pecan Management course offered by Oklahoma State University will offer seasoned growers or those new to the industry a wealth of research-based information. The goal of the course is to provide an in-depth experience, both in the classroom and hands-on in the orchard, for current and prospective pecan growers, said Becky…

The DFA of California, also known as the American Council for Food Safety and Quality, is offering a validation class for nut processors on April 2 in Monterey. The course costs $150 and covers sanitation practices, pathogen reduction/pasteurization and testing with surrogate organisms. The goal of the class is to prepare nut processors for compliance…

A Pecan Museum is back on the drawing board for Seguin, Texas, after a few years of non-activity. The museum will soon be under construction at the Texas Agricultural Education and Heritage Center in Seguin, better known locally in Seguin as the Big Red Barn. Seguin’s Pecan Museum Association presented a check for $264,366 to…

In a National Football League game, the quarterback of the team on offense has 40 seconds from the end of the previous play to get the next play from the coach, gather his teammates in a huddle, tell them the next play, walk up into formation, glance at the opposing team’s defense, and bark out…

One recent research project that has peaked the interest of pecan entomologists, horticulturalists and growers alike is the development of improved methods for monitoring and control of tilehorned prionus and broadnecked root borer – 2 insect pests that contribute to the decline and loss of production of pecan trees and are difficult to control. The…

Editor’s note: this news release is compiled from Associated Press and Las Cruces Sun Times reporting.       The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in late January that Texas can proceed with its lawsuit against New Mexico over management of the Rio Grande. Texas contends that groundwater pumping near the Texas-New Mexico border has resulted in Texas…

We are off and running on another pecan year and many folks are looking forward to the New Year after the poor crop in 2013. What a winter it has been to date – unbelievable cold weather. Not so much from extreme lows, but rather from extended periods of cold weather. All temperate fruit crops…

I think that every day something happens that reminds me or just reinforces the fact that this is a fast-paced world and it is difficult, if not almost impossible, to catch up or even stay abreast with change. One of these realization events occurred for me earlier this month as I made my annual search…

Recent changes by the 83rd Texas Legislature to the Texas Cottage Food Law now make it permissible to sell nonperishable coated and uncoated nuts from one’s home. Sales must be face-to-face with the consumer and includes selling at some farmer’s markets, fairs, festivals and non-profit events. Online sales are prohibited as well as any other…

More than 2,000 high school culinary students secured their place in the Guinness Book of World Records as they created the world’s largest praline with donations supplied by the Georgia Pecan Commission and U.S. Foods. The 531-pound confection was prepared to celebrate the Hospitality Education Foundation of Georgia’s (HEFG) 10th annual Career Expo, held on…

As pecan growers enter the 2014 pecan year, it is good to outline management practices and develop plans. Growers can use different types of management: establishment management, low vs. moderate vs. intensive orchard management, and native grove management. Texas production is in an alternate-bearing cycle with 2014 being the “on” year following the short 2013…

Has anyone tried to buy a pecan tree lately? You almost need to hire a private investigator to track one down for you. I’ve been receiving numerous inquiries from growers frustrated with their search for the appropriate variety on the right rootstock. Because of the explosion in new pecan acreage the last few years, nurseries…

DeWayne McCasland of Goldthwaite, Texas, has just published a new book entitled “They Must Have Been Nuts: The Innovators, Speculators and Giant Personalities Who Created the Modern Pecan Industry.” The hardback is 146 pages of interesting reading with chapters covering “From the Beginning to the Present”, “Step-by-Step the Pecan Industry Moves Forward”, “Risk”, “Growers”, “Accumulators”,…

The November issue of Saveur magazine, featured Georgia pecans in a 7-page article called “Southern Belle: The pecan, the South’s favorite nut, adds buttery, earthy richness to all sorts of holiday foods.” Saveur is a food, wine and travel magazine that specializes in various world culinary cuisines. More than 1.5 million people read the magazine…